Military Dress Uniform

[Kim_Bitzflick]

First let me say, I have never been in the military. I don't mean any disrespect. I am grateful for the service of every single person who served to give me the right to ask this question. Thank you all for what you have done.

If the military is so non CD friendly, and up until recently women were not allowed to serve, why is it called a DRESS uniform?

[kimdl93]

Actually, women did serve at least since WWII, although not in combat roles, but they work skirts, not dresses. The term Full Dress Uniform, while I served, referred to the formal uniform worn for ceremonial events... Not your every day class A uniform. As in "dressed up" although I'm sure the military has a much more complicated and historically rooted meaning for the term "dress".

[sissystephanie]

Kim is absolutely correct. The "Dress" uniform is usually worn for ceremonial functions, instead of wearing anormal Class A uniform. But as she said, the military most likely does have a more complicated meaning for "dress," which I am sure does not include the CD version!!

[lisalove]

During the civil war, there were lots of FTM CDs. Many women dressed as men in order to fight for their states.

[Helen Grandeis]

Dress means dressy, like dressed up. There are also un-dressed uniforms.
-
My alter ego is a retired officer.

[Persephone]

During the civil war, there were lots of FTM CDs. Many women dressed as men in order to fight for their states.

Absolutely! And for both sides.

Some adopted men's clothes but it was known, even by the commanding officers, that they were women. Others may have even skipped the FTM part, openly shown themselves to be women, and their being there was "overlooked."

Hugs to another history buff!
Persephone.

[SarahLynn]

... If the military is so non CD friendly, and up until recently women were not allowed to serve, why is it called a DRESS uniform?

Dress uniform implys that all the medals, ribbons and badges are present. An undressed uniform is one where none or most of the badges and medals or ribbons are not present. In the Coast Guard your "Class A" uniform is one where you are wearing all your medals plus any additional ribbons and badges, and includes a white shirt under your blouse. A uniform blouse is the coat with all the medals and ribbons and badges worn over your shirt and tie. A "Class B" uniform is one in which you wear only the ribbons representing the medals as well as all appropriate badges, and is worn with a blue shirt under the blouse.

I stated at the beginning saying it implys that all the medals and ribbons are worn. I know many people, myself included, who did not wear all of their medals or ribbons. For me it was not because I was ashamed to wear them but because to me unit ribbons were not necessarly earned by me but by others of the unit. I didn't feel I had earned the right to something to which I did not particiapate.

SarahLynn: Retired, CWO, USCG

[Kate Simmons]

Funny. In the Army dress uniforms were forest green and then and only then could you wear all of your medals. They also had what they termed "dress blues" for ultra formal occassions, such as Christmas, weddings, etc. In any case the female officers had their own female uniforms as well.

[Michelle.M]

If the military is so non CD friendly, and up until recently women were not allowed to serve, why is it called a DRESS uniform?

You're kidding, right? Women have been in the military since the beginning. In the revolution on up until the 20th century they served unofficially in support roles and officially as contractors. Mary Walker was a Civil War surgeon who served as an adjunct surgeon in a military capacity and was even awarded the Medal of Honor.

Some time before WWI women were brought into uniform, still technically in an auxiliary role but were military members. Those WAVEs, WAFs, WMs and WACs continued as such until those programs began phasing out in the 1960s and the final phase out and total integration was complete in the 1970s.

"Dress" uniform has nothing to do with dresses. It refers to a uniform being worn for a dress (civilians might say "dressy") function.

[Deborah]

While my wife was away i had the chance to wear her dress uniform when her/I were in.....and i took full opportunity.

I wonder if they're going to let men wear skirts now for inspections?

[Tina B.]

Then why does the navy call the top of there uniform a blouse?
Tina B.

[Kaitlyn26]

'Cause them's your dress clothes son. You take good care of 'em and ya polish yer boots up real nice and ya wear that on a special day where people get to see ye. Yes, I think it's a traditional name that describes a uniform for dressing up nice.

Also, you can put dress in front of any clothing item to signify it as an item for special occasion. Dress shoes, dress pants, dress shirt. On Sunday people used to say, "Better go put on my dress clothes, it's almost time for church".

You, being from SC should've heard this by now. Old southern people still say this, most of the country has stopped using "dress" in front of something to signify it's importance and call them by name now.

[Asche]

Then why does the navy call the top of there uniform a blouse?
Tina B.

I assume you're referring to the upper-body garment in a "sailor suit." I believe a "blouse" simply means (or used to mean) a loose pull-over garment for the upper body, such as what French peasants customarily wore. I would guess that a Navy officer's dress uniform does not have a blouse (if it's anything like the uniform my Dad wore for his weekend Navy duty.)

Very few of our words for clothing were originally gendered, and traditional usage reflects this. "Dress" originally simply meant clothing, and most uses today still don't imply women's clothing. "National dress," "dressing up," "getting dressed," etc., apply to both men and women. "Stocking" used to, at least, refer to both men's and women's footwear -- anybody remember A. A. Milne's poem about "my son John, went to bed with his stockings on"? The knee socks men wear with "traditional" Scottish kilts are called "hose." Beds and hovercraft can wear skirts without being "transgendered." They're just pieces of cloth, and it seems stupid to give the same piece of cloth a different name if a man wears it than when a woman wears it.

[carhill2mn]

For the same reason that a man says that "I am going to go get dressed" when he will be putting on all male clothes. The word "dress" has many meanings and uses, Getting "all dressed up" did/does not always mean getting dressed up as a woman.

[Carole]

The British air force have a No1 Home Dress, and they used to call their No2 uniform 'Battle Dress'.
I often wonder when watching 'Trooping the Colour' on tv ( a military parade to honour the Queen's official birthday) what troops think of the order 'Right Dress' when plainly some of them must 'dress' to the left...........................(my tailor always asks me which side I 'dress' I reply 'just put a 'tuck' down there for me')

[Kim_Bitzflick]

Thak you all for the little history lesson. It is interesting how the meaning of words change over time or get additiional meanings.