US military women fume over new restrictions on colored nail polish

Some United States military women are fuming over the Air Force’s new uniform guidelines, which prevents them from wearing colored nail polish.

Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin alerted military members of the guidelines in a memo on January 24, which was shared on an unofficial Facebook group about the Air Force. In the memo, Allvin noted that on February 1, the permitted colors of nail polish were being reduced from 60 to three, so only “clear, or French or American Manicure” were allowed.

Female service members have since shared their candid thoughts about the new rule on social media, including one woman on TikTok named Elora Jean, who’s in the US Air Force.

“The entire section about nail polish colors that women could or couldn’t wear in uniform is gone,” she said in a recent clip, before showcasing all the nail colors that were initially authorized in 2024 but are not anymore.

After reading the now-viral memo from Allvin, continued to hit back at the nail polish policy.

“People are not happy,” she said about the online reaction to the memo. “They think that the priorities are a little bit skewed right now. And that nail polish is really not that serious. And that there’s a lot of other things that should be focused on when it comes to military readiness, and recruiting and general well-being for people in the military.”

In the comments of the clip, which has more than 5.9 million views, multiple people, including veterans, agreed with Jean’s take and questioned why military women can’t wear colored nail polish.

“Where do the priorities of nail polish correspond with large-scale combat operations?” one person wrote.

“We just got colors and now it’s more strict than when I first joined,” another wrote.

“I feel like it’s not like a major deal but also why do they even care what color you paint your damn nails,” a third responded.

Others joked about the meaning of an American manicure, which is a nude or pink-based polish with white tips.

“[What do you mean] American manicures aren’t miniature American flags?” One wrote.

Other servicewomen chimed in on the unofficial Air Force Facebook group.

“It’s true, wine red nail polish makes me type slower. I’ve noticed,” one quipped, while a second added: “My nail lady who bought all new APPROVED polish is about to be pissed.”

“I just got my damn nails done and spent $50 on a color that’s not approved now,” complained another on the Air Force Subreddit.

The memo to Air Force personnel also shared other guidelines, stating that while on duty, “male Airmen must be clean-shaven.” Duty Identified Patches, which indicate a service member’s job, are also “no longer authorized for wear.” Another new uniform requirement added the definition for “gig line.”

“When members wear shirt tucked into trousers or slacks with front fly opening, the button front edge of the shirt, the outside of the belt buckle (when required) and the edge of the fly will align,” the memo reads. “This alignment creates a gig line. The gig line should be straight and neat.”