A young woman named Kate Pimental wants to join the U.S. Marine Corps. The 20 year-old exceeds all physical fitness standards, and recruiters believe she is mentally and physically a great fit for the service. The only problem is that Pimental has a tattoo on her collar bone, which would violate the Marine Corps tattoo policy.

The tattoo in question: “Let your smile change the world but never let the world change you.”

That’s a pretty innocuous message, so what’s the problem?

Male Marines wear crewneck shirts that cover their collar bones, but female Marines wear v-neck shirts that leave the area exposed. The official Marine Corps tattoo policy only allows tattoos that are completely covered by clothing, so female Marines can’t tattoo their skin near the neck and upper chest.

If Pimental were a man, her tattoo wouldn’t be a problem.

Rep. Chellie Pingree wrote to Gen. Robert Neller on Pimental’s behalf.

“As you well know, male Marines are afforded the opportunity to choose between wearing — or not wearing — a white crewneck undershirt with both their Service Uniform ‘C’ or their Dress Uniform ‘D.’ The only allowable undershirt for female Marines is a v-neck and is not allowed to be visible,” Pingree wrote. “That means a tattoo that would be covered by a male Marine’s undershirt could be visible and not covered by a female Marine’s v-neck undershirt and the result, I believe, is an unintentional act of discrimination.”

Pimental applied for a tattoo waiver seven months ago, but has yet to hear if her application was accepted. She said in a statement that she would not give up on trying to join the Marines.

“I’m going to do this no matter how long it takes,” Pimental said. “Serving in the Marines is tough, but I know in my heart I can do it. It’s going to make me a better person.”