At FlightLines, we ask the tough questions, so when the issue came up whether airmen can wear their uniforms to a “My Little Pony” convention, it was game time!
Army Times’ blog “Outside the Wire” – FlightLines’ older, more successful, uber-geek brother – recently did a feature on service members who are fans of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”
The blog mentioned a National Guardsman wearing “Pony” regalia on his ACUs as sort of a combat patch during a recent convention of fans of the show, known as “Bronies.”
But before you don your ABUs and go to the nearest Brony jamboree, remember that the Air Force is very particular about which events airmen are allowed to wear their uniforms, as two female airmen found out when they posed for a picture that was part of a breast-feeding awareness campaign.
Air Force Instruction 35-105 says which events airmen cannot attend in uniform, including those that endorse a particular business or are “commercially sponsored and intended to increase sales and business traffic.”
None of that bodes well for airmen who want to attend the next BronyCon in uniform, said Air Force spokesman, Maj. Joel Harper.
“If a commander were presented with this by an airman, my guess is the commander would regrettably disapprove,” Harper said.
However, the instruction says nothing about Royal Equestrian Air Force uniforms.