The high and tight is a military variant of the

crew cut A crew cut is a type of haircut in which the upright hair on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair that forms a short pomp (Pompadour (hairstyle), pompadour) at the front hairline to the shortest a ...

. It is a very short hairstyle, characterized by the back and sides of the head being shaved to the skin and the option for the top to be blended or faded into slightly longer hair. It is most commonly worn by men in the

U.S. armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

. It is also popular with law enforcement officers and other public safety personnel. Although "high and tight" is the primary term used in military and law enforcement, the same haircut is sometimes referred to by civilians as a "walker".

Styling

While many variations of the style exist, the one common feature is that all of the hair on the sides and back of the head is clipped very close, usually or shorter, up to a point above the temples (referring to the "high" part of its name). A sharp line delineates the boundary between the close-cut sides and back and the longer top portion (referring to the "tight" part of its name). The crown of the head is spared the closest shaving to safely accommodate the weight of a

combat helmet A combat helmet, also called a ballistic helmet, battle helmet, or helmet system (for some Modular design, modular accessory-centric designs) is a type of helmet designed to serve as a piece of body armor intended to protect the wearer's head du ...

. The length of the top portion may vary, usually being , but sometimes left long enough to comb. The back and sides of the head are sometimes shaved completely with a razor. According to

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

instructions, U.S. military haircuts must have: "A tapered appearance on both sides and the back of the head, both with and without headgear. A tapered appearance is one that when viewed from any angle outlines the member's hair so that it conforms to the shape of the head, curving inward to the natural termination point without eccentric directional flow, twists or spiking."Air Force Instruction 36-2903, 2014

Usage

Beginning in the late 1980s, the high and tight crossed over into civilian life, being embraced first by mostly young black males (see

hi-top fade Hi-top fade is a haircut where hair on the sides is cut off or kept very short while hair on the top of the head is grown long. The hi-top was a trend during the golden age of hip hop and urban contemporary music of the 1980s and the early 1990s. ...

) before spreading to other groups. From the 1990s to the present day, the hairstyle has also been popular among Syrian, Egyptian and Moroccan youths. In Indonesia, the high and tight is known as ''Cepak'' (pronounced "Cheu-pak") and is worn by all military and some police personnel, particularly those serving in paramilitary units. The national identity of a male

Indonesian Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Army (''TNI-AD''), Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Air Force (''TNI-AU''). The President of Indonesia is the Supreme ...

member is indicated by this haircut; it is also worn by students of other service academies in the country. Officers of general rank rarely wear the high and tight, with a notable exception being Minister of Defense

Ryamizard Ryacudu General (Ret.) Ryamizard Ryacudu (born 21 April 1950) is an Indonesian politician who served as the Ministry of Defence (Indonesia), Minister of Defense of Indonesia from 2014 until 2019. He previously served as Chief of Staff of the Indonesian ...

Variations

Horseshoe flattop

In this version of the high and tight, the top of the head is clipped in a

flattop A flattop is a classic hairstyle characterized by short hair on the sides and back of the head, with the top hair cut short and styled to stand upright in a flat, level plane. Styling In the most classic style of flattop for men and boys, the ...

style, with the hair short enough that the scalp is plainly visible along the centerline of the anteroposterior axis of the head. This creates the distinctive appearance of seemingly having a

horseshoe-shaped Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...

hairstyle. The exposed scalp is sometimes referred to as a "landing strip".

Recon

This version has higher boundaries, with the only hair present starting well above the crown of the head. The name is a reference to the haircut's association with

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

units of the U.S.

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, and

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

. The "recon" can also be cut short on the top to incorporate the look of the horseshoe flattop. The recon high and tight doesn't fade, and resembles a mohawk, but with the hair on the back of the head, sides, and neck cut to match.

References

External links

* {{Human hair Hairstyles Military life Military slang and jargon 1990s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion