Ok ladies, let’s be honest, if you have ever gone through a winter deployment, you have probably gotten a little bit hairy. When it’s cold out, and you’re wearing pants every day, and you don’t have a date for 7 months… yeah, things can get a little ugly.
But a summer deployment is a little different. You still have to get through bathing suit season, whether or not your significant other is around to see you. You actually have to keep up with personal hygiene, even when you aren’t intimate with anyone! And that’s when you realize: your beauty routine is something you do for yourself, not for anyone else!
It doesn’t really matter who sees you, or if you are just home all day with little ones. Some of our beauty rituals should just be for us. Because our bodies are beautiful, and because we are strong, confident women. And because taking care of yourself is a great way to fight depression. It’s hard to be depressed when you are looking your best, right? But sweatpants, messy unwashed hair, and hairy legs are just a recipe for depression, no matter how beautiful a day it is outside.
So, woman with a deployed spouse, please raise your right hand and repeat the Deployment Hygiene Oath after me:

“I, (state your name), do solemly swear to take care of myself when my husband is gone. I will continue to take regular showers, style my hair, paint my nails, and do my makeup, even when I do not have a Skype date. I will shave my legs at least once a month, even if I have no plans to wear a bathing suit. I will look my best–not just for him– but because I have self-worth and making myself beautiful makes me feel good. And I will encourage my deployment sisters to do the same.”

I’m not saying that you need to spend extra money while he is gone. Sure, you might not get your eyebrows done as often, or go to the nail salon regularly, or you may go a little longer between haircuts. But the basic hygiene I am talking about is usually free. When you get up in the morning, you decide how you are going to approach your day. Putting on the right clothes can go a long way towards a healthy mental attitude for the rest of the day. It is said that half of the challenge in a job is simply showing up. It is also said that putting on your workout clothes in the morning makes it a lot more likely that you will work out. So, let’s all approach deployment with a positive attitude. I will get up every morning with the intention to do my best that day. I will take care of myself physically and mentally. I will treat my body with honor, because I have value even when my husband isn’t around. And yes, I will shave sometimes, even when I don’t have a date!

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