Although Roman legionaries were compulsory shaving, it has not been a unanimous norm in armies throughout history, and, in fact, the custom did not begin to settle until World War II.
For example, the Germanic hosts – enemies of Rome – wore long hair and long beards as a symbol of masculinity. And in the 17th century, many European soldiers, especially those of higher rank, wore hair to distinguish themselves from their servants, who were forced to cut their hair. Since then, it has been very common to wear their hair back in a ponytail and combine it with curls on the sides , which the barbers of their unit combed.
Mustaches and beards – like those worn by combatants in the American Civil War – have also been common in the military: they only began to be definitively discarded after the First World War, since they were a nuisance to put on the masks anti-gas .
During World War II, shaving was definitively imposed not only as a guarantee of hygiene, but also for safety reasons, since hair can get caught in weapons .
