KIT IS NOT FIT FOR OUR GIRLS
Campaigner’s attack on £79m battle gear designed for blokes
OUR Girls say vital Army gear doesn’t fit – because it was designed for men.
Female soldiers like those portrayed by Michelle Keegan in the BBC telly drama say it stops them doing their jobs.
They claim even basic shirts were put together with fellas in mind, with more than nine out of ten female recruits taking aim at personal kit.
Campaigner and author Caroline Criado-Perez warned that illfitting equipment may have a “serious impact” on female recruits’ health. She told a conference at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy: “Some women say it is actually more difficult to look smart. Body armour and packs can also present problems for female soldiers.”
Ms Perez blamed a historic lack of female data collection for the problems with equipment mainly designed for men. She said the centuriesold tradition of using men as the models had to be changed and called for more accurate information on troops to be collated.
Her call – reported in Soldier magazine – comes after she raised the same controversial issue in her 2019 book Invisible Women.
Last year it was also claimed female soldiers were left with leg and hip problems from carrying 90-litre packs with state-of-the-art Virtus battle equipment.
Experts say the packs are too big for most women while webbing pouches used to hold ammo hurt their hips.
Among the troops claiming to have suffered injuries while wearing the £79million hi-tech kit was the first female Royal Marine recruit, Philippa Birch.
Ex-Corrie star Michelle, 32, has played medic Georgie Lane in the Beeb’s Our Girl since 2016.
She has said: “I’ve always admired the Armed Forces, but I think you find an awesome new respect for them when you’re filming a show like this.”