'Also fat': Female soldier reveals devastating military double standard in viral TikTok
A female soldier in the US has called out the military's double standards in a now viral TikTok video.
Belen Martinez, known as @baleficent1 on the app, works for the US Army and shared a clip with herself and four military colleagues.
The footage shows three women who are considered 'fat' according to the US Military body composition standard, which combines height and weight to determine body fat.
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Martinez pans the video through her female colleagues who were considered 'fat' by military standards TikTok
Martinez then pans the camera over to her larger male colleague, who she said "passes height and weight".
According to Military.com, military women are more likely to be considered overweight or obese compared to military men.
"The body fat estimation does not serve as a safety net for muscular or postpartum women, as it does for our male counterparts," the publication states.
The US military has strict standards for height and weight TikTok
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The TikTok was captioned "army standards" and has since garnered a staggering two million views and thousands of comments from women with similar experiences.
"My mother used to do army physicals, female athletes were disqualified while men with beer bellies passed," one person wrote.
"I've seen women not drink water for 48 hours and spit into sups to meet military weight requirements," another said.
The camera then shows a male soldier who passed the height and weight test TikTok
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Martinez went on to reveal in another video she weighs 72kg (160lbs) but was still considered 'fat' by the military standards.
She explained her time in the military has resulted in '"body dysmorphia" and disordered eating.
"I feel you," another woman commented. "I have eating disorders since I joined the corps and it has been very hard."
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