WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army unveiled a new recruiting slogan this week, replacing decades of aspirational advertising with what officials called the most accurate description yet of the relationship between soldiers and the institution:
“Your body, my choice.”
Army marketing officials said the phrase performed exceptionally well in focus groups after prospective recruits were informed that military service allows the government to regulate their weight, hair, facial hair, physical fitness, medical readiness, tattoos, sleep schedule, geographic location, and ability to leave.
“Usually recruiting slogans tell people what the Army can do for them,” said Lt. Col. Ronald Mercer, an Army marketing official. “We thought it might be refreshing to explain what we’re going to do to them.”
The campaign follows a strong recruiting year in which the Army met its annual accession goal months early, giving officials greater freedom to experiment with what they described as “radical honesty.”
One advertisement depicts a recruit asking whether he can skip morning physical training because his knee hurts.
A drill sergeant slowly turns toward the camera.
“Your body,” he says. “My choice.”
Another shows a soldier requesting permission to grow a beard.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
The screen fades to black.
Army officials said the slogan is particularly well suited to the service’s renewed emphasis on physical standards.
“You're too fat? Our problem,” Mercer said. “Too slow? Our problem. Your testosterone is low? Apparently also our problem now.”
The campaign also includes a pregnancy-themed advertisement in which a female soldier informs her chain of command that she is expecting a child.
Her commander immediately opens a deployment roster.
“Congratulations,” he says. “Have you considered the needs of the Army?”
Officials stressed that the slogan applies equally to male and female soldiers.
“This isn't sexism,” Mercer said. “We control everybody’s body.”
He then pointed to a poster featuring a shirtless male soldier standing on a scale while three senior NCOs watched.
