The impact of the Trump administration's razor bumps policy on Black soldiers

Get the Point!

When I was about three years old, I used to sit in the bathroom and watch my father, then Major Charles Hobbs, shave with a Gillette razor several times per week before he headed off to his work duties at Fort Benning, Georgia. One morning after he left, I took a foot stool, climbed up to the sink, lathered my face with shaving cream, took hold of his razor and within minutes, started shaving!

Pop kept his beard shaved throughout his 20 years of service in the U.S. Army

Within seconds, I felt sharp pains and noticed blood dripping all over the sink and my hands. Predictably, I cried out to my Mom who rushed in like a hawk, applied pressure to my self inflicted wounds with a towel, and then dashed me to the hospital—where I received my first set of stitches on my chin.

Young Hobbs, preschool pic at Fort Benning, circa 1975

A little over 10 years later, I was in 9th grade when my peach fuzz turned into a jet black "G.I.Joe" doll looking full beard but this time, my father stood next to me and gave instructions about how to lather up and properly shave my face and neck until fully clean.

But over the next several days, as the hair started to grow back, I noticed that these painful bumps started breaking out all over my neck and face. Pop noticed them too and one afternoon, came home with something called Magic Shave, a god awful smelling concoction that he thought may alleviate the razor bumps. Well, Magic Shave only made matters worse, as the larger razor bumps were now surrounded by what seemed like thousands of tiny black bumps that itched like crazy.

While I was a relatively confident 14-year old at the time, my confidence started to take a hit as some schoolmates started asking "Chuckie, what's wrong with your face," while one girl that I was particularly fond of joked that I was starting to look like "The Elephant Man." 😂

“The Elephant Man,” starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1980…

Thinking that I was going to have to start wearing a mask or paper bag over my head to hide my shame, I told my parents about my dilemma and a few days later, Pop took me to see Dr. Armand Cognetta, a local dermatologist. I was diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), more commonly known as razor bumps. After prescribing topical creams and penicillin, the doctor told Pop that my facial hair texture was curlier (nappier) than his, which was why he could use a straight razor but I couldn't. Dr. Cognetta then suggested that an electric razor, like the ones that barbers use, may work better for my facial hair texture.

The next weekend, Pop came home with a Wahl electric razor, plugged that joint in and started shaving my face and neck in the bathroom. Sure enough, as the hair started growing back, there were no more bumps at all; I've been using an electric razor ever since and have never had a serious recurrence of razor bumps.

A freshly shaven Hobbs, circa 11th grade in ‘88, no longer plagued by razor bumps!

Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, following President Donald Trump's lead in attacking racial diversity in all facets of the federal government, ordered a complete review of standards relating to fitness, body composition, and proper grooming. If Hegseth has his way, the nearly 40,000 soldiers who have waivers relating to razor bumps, the overwhelming majority of whom are Black, could find themselves discharged from the military.

Despite the racial disparities, Secretary Hegseth stated, “It starts with the basic stuff, right? It’s grooming standards and uniform standards and training standards, fitness standards, all of that matters.”

Yeah, while that sounds all nice and race neutral, the truth is that Hegseth’s order is very much race specific; my early experiences with shaving as a teen are more than enough for me to sympathize with Black soldiers whose careers are in jeopardy now over an arbitrary directive that bears no weight on a man's fitness to fight in defense of our nation.

In fact, knowing that according to United States Army figures, more than 40 percent of Black soldiers suffer from razor bumps and face the specter of being booted due to a condition that they cannot control is simply the latest example of systemic racism running amok in the second Trump administration. Which is why I can only hope that common sense, something in very short supply these days in our federal government, will trump this latest foolish policy that has NO bearing on a Black soldier's desire or fitness to fight this nation's enemies, both foreign and domestic!