AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps is making it easier for women to cover up tattoos by allowing them to wear crew-neck undershirts beneath their uniforms.
The Marines made the change Thursday after U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree complained that its dress policy unintentionally discriminated against female recruits. Men are allowed to wear crew neck T-shirts.
Last month, the Democrat from Maine urged the Marine Corps to amend its rules and accept 20-year-old Kennebunk resident Kate Pimental. She has a tattoo just below her collarbone that says, "Let your smile change the world but never let the world change you."
The Marines will not accept recruits with visible tattoos.
Pimental says the altered dress code means she can now cover her tattoo and join the Marines.
