At the end of the day, are we writing the Canadian Forces Dress Instructions to appease foreigners, or are we trying to write something that works for Canadians?
I would say both, frankly.
The CAF is trying to be a credible military force to our citizens, our Allies, and in a deterrent role; our enemies.
We fail the mark in many regards due to our abysmal procurement of eqpt, lax physical fitness standards, and failure to recruit and retain enough people to fill the tasks asked of us.
Projecting a professional appearance in Dress and Grooming should be one of the easy wins, but alas here we are.
There are plenty of things that we as a society allow or encourage or celebrate which many of our allies find distasteful. Too f'in bad. We're not doing it for them.
That is a very naive stance to take. I would hope its one you keep for this forum and not one you take with you on Expeditionary Operations.
We are a small force that tends to rely on the good graces of others to provide everything from SLOC, Force Protection, and other key enablers when our folks are out the door. That support disappears when we thumb our nose at the HN because "we're Canadians, we do what we want...."
I count myself blessed that I love in a country that has so many freedoms and liberal attitudes. Keeps me and my Rainbow family members safe and protected.
I am also well educated in my many travels around the globe that we are an island in this, and we don't make friends by finger wagging.
If the HN Commander providing force protection to my troops expects to communicate with a certain calibre of soldier (be that in professionalism, fitness, or appearance)... "The CFDI says I can" will be a great epitaph to go on my headstone when things go sideways.
Never assume the Strategic impact of personal or tactical decisions.