For ROTC Girls

I mentioned before that I am a Cadet in ROTC. Now, I do know ALL of the ladies above me in rank and all the ladies who are the same rank as me help teach me all kinds of tricks and tips to get through ROTC as a female. I am not saying that there is a difference between males and females as far as how we should be treated; we are all soldiers. I will say, however, there are certain... biological things that as a girl it's important to know. Whether we like to admit it or not, there are things that guys have it easier than us, and that's ok! There is nothing wrong with that! We just have to know how to be ready for anything Mother Nature might throw at us :) So! Here I will be posting little tidbits for all of you ladies out there :) Comments/questions/concerns are always welcome and please remember, this is all just from a personal view or experience.

Let's start with the Basics:

So, somehow or other you've decided that the military life is for you. And for that I want to say congratulations! You have chosen to embark on something not everyone can or wants to do. So! Awesome job!
Now, here comes the questions. Before the freaking outs, and what-ifs, and OMG we have to do what?? Let's start with the basics. Do me a favor and look up a picture of a military woman. You may come up with something like this:


Look at them. Do they have fancy buns? A cake load of make up? Nail polish? Earrings? Any other jewelry? No. They look professional. Key things to take away:

1. Put your hair in a bun at the nape of your neck and make sure you bobby pin any fly-aways or bangs ect. Hair spray is your best friend! If your hair is too short, make sure it clears your collar, is neat, and doesn't have anything too fancy going on with it. For instance, if you have one side of your head shaved and the other sports a colorful mane... you may want to adjust that. Your goal for your hair is to look professional and neat.

2. Make-up. I myself wear it. 95% of the girls wear it and it is totally ok! Wear make-up if it makes you feel comfortable! I will say though, after a long day of exercise, running simulations, drill, ruck marching, the lovely make-up running down your face is not a pretty sight for any occasion. Limit your make-up. Go natural even! I have more Asian eyes since I am half Chinese, and as "exotic" as they are, I hate them in the morning. I feel, when I look in the mirror, I have to blink a few times and play a hide-n-go-seek game to find them. I like having a bit of make-up. I literally (timed it) use 1 min to do my make-up. I pick up a black eye liner and outline my eyes. No crazy fancy cat eye thing (for one I can't do it) just enough to shadow my eyelashes. That's it. If you must wear foundation or cover-up, bare minimum. I promise no one is going to notice or care when it's all said and done. But everyone will notice it sliding off your face if you decide to cake it on. Less is more.

3. Nail polish. For my battalion, it's a no-go. No nail polish. Period. Other people have told me clear nail polish is ok. Other's still say french tips are fine too. It depends on your battalion, but until you're sure don't wear it.

4. Jewelry. Think when you played in sports; no earrings, no rings, no bracelets right? Same in the military. You are allowed to wear a wedding ring I believe. Watches are a must. Make sure you buy a watch that is a plain and sturdy as possible and one that doesn't dig into your wrist as you do push-ups.

5. If you aren't in ROTC yet, start working out. Check out the PT test score table and see what you must get as a minimum and what you should be aiming for as a maximum. I thought I was relatively fit when I first went in; it didn't take long for me to see just how far away "fit" was. The PT test consists of 2 mins of push-ups, 2 mins of sit-ups and a 2 mile run (Army test, I'm not sure of other branches). Start working on it! The more prepared you are the better off you'll be :)

That's the end of the basics I think... Good luck if you're just getting started! I'll be posting more up for you later! Any questions or topics you'd like me to address, comment below and I will include it next time!