Army Seeks ‘Average-Looking’ Women

In an internal Army email, the leader of a research team seeking to integrate women into combat roles suggests “average-looking women” be used in stories about female soldiers. “In general, ugly women are perceived as competent while pretty women are perceived as having used their looks to get ahead,” read the note drafted by Col. Lynette Arnhart. An attractive woman wearing makeup could “undermine” the message and “make people ask if breaking a nail is considered hazardous duty,” while a picture of a female soldier covered in mud proves women are “willing to do the dirty work necessary in order to get the job done.”