It's a victory of sorts for African-American women serving in the armed forces of the United States. They can now sport dreadlocks and twists, which for them have been natural hairstyles for years - until they enlisted in the military. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Wednesday that the military has lifted earlier prohibitions on popular black hairstyles among female soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, following months of heated protests from African-Americans in the ranks and outside. 

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Hagel had earlier given the military three months to review hairstyle regulations that affect female African-Americans in the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force. This was in response to an outcry from soldiers and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In April, all 16 female members of the Caucus wrote to Hagel and said a recently updated Army regulation governing troops' uniform wear and hairstyles was racist and unfairly targeted African-American women.

The letter said the "use of words like 'unkempt' and 'matted' when referring to traditional hairstyles worn by women of color are offensive and biased. The assumption that individuals wearing these hairstyles cannot maintain them in a way that meets the professionalism of Army standards indicates a lack of cultural sensitivity conducive to creating a tolerant environment for minorities."

Writing about the lifting of the prohibitions to Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Hagel said each of the armed services "reviewed its hairstyle policies to ensure standards are fair and respectful while also meeting out military requirements."

"As a result of these reviews the Army, Navy, and Air Force determined changes were necessary to their Service grooming regulations to include additional authorized hairstyles," Hagel wrote.

Effectively immediately, the three branches of the military - the Army, Air Force, and Navy - will now allow service members to wear their hair in two-strand twists. The Army also increased the size of acceptable braids, and both the Army and Air Force will remove the terms "matted and unkempt" from their grooming guidelines.

In a statement, Fudge thanked Secretary Hagel for the swift response to their concerns, adding that the changes "acknowledge that these hairstyles do not result in or reflect less professionalism or commitment to the high standards required to serve within our Armed Forces." 

TagsSecretary Hagel, US Army, US Air Force