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Abstract
Despite servicewomen’s recent inroads into ground combat roles in the American military, scholars have not yet studied the implications for recruiting and evolving messages about femininity in the military context. The present study takes a mostly qualitative, content analysis approach to how militarized femininity is constructed across the branches from 2017-2021. A primary sample analyzes commercials produced for widespread consumption compared against a secondary sample of interviews and series from each branch channel, which are geared towards populations seeking information on their own. The analysis finds that 1) branches reserve more explicit promotion of servicewomen for interested recruits rather than the public, 2) public content only seldom casts a more gender diverse vision for the future, and 3) the branches associated with ground combat (Army and Marines) are less likely to recognize servicewomen and their trailblazing contributions but are more subject to critical attention from viewers regardless.