A video on TikTok has gone viral for calling out double standards in the US Army when it comes to maximum body weight allowances for male and female recruits.
Also known as body composition standards, the US Army has regulations around the maximum weight that a person of a certain can be before they are deemed to be overweight to be in the military.
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However, TikTok user @baleficent1 - a member of the army herself - has called out the standards pointing out the differing figures for male and females.
The TikTok video shows its creator and three other military women who are considered fat based on the U.S. military body composition standard. The video, which has over two million views, then pans to a man who is considered an acceptable weight.
The point that's being made is that women with significant muscle mass are often considered overweight by the military despite being fit and strong. However, the male numbers account for muscle mass.
The video drew hundreds of comments, including several from female military TikTokers, who shared their own alarming tales of trying to toe the weight limits.
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From one person writing that they 'didn't eat or drink for 48 hours' to another saying that 'a lot days of just cardio and sauna' were all they did some days to try and lower their weight, it painted a bleak picture of what female recruits had to go through to pass the standard.
TikTok user Heather said: "Sat in a sauna wearing sweats for four hours.
"Did that with the buddy systems so if one of us starts to pass out we could drag them out."
The video is one of a number posted by @baleficent1other that takes on these standards. In another she posts the different standards by other branches of the military, like the Marines, who have different weight and height charts for males and females. Some even have combined requirements, like the Air Force.
In another she showed that she's currently bulking by working out in the gym, but while clearly in good shape, claimed that 160 lbs was considered fat. She backed that up with a video of her deadlifting 300 lbs.
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According to Military.com, the current standards date back 2002, but critics of them say that they are largely outdated.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: TikTok/baleficent1