One of the Queen's elite protection soldiers has blasted the body positivity movement, claiming it promotes obesity and makes new recruits "soft".
Serving Queen's Guard Lance Sergeant Ferren Morgan, 36, said the movement has brought "snowflake" recruits who perform under-par physically and are "shying away" from hard work, he told the Daily Mail.
Morgan, who is a physical training instructor for the Coldstream Guards in Westminster, said youngsters need to stop pretending it's "okay" to be fat, suggesting the movement is "promoting obesity".
"Recruit and candidates influenced by a lifestyle of 'body positivity' lose sight of the importance of consistently maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle, which translates into a decline in their physical performance."
Morgan said recruits don't train as often as they should in their spare time, the Daily Mail reports.
"[They] shy away from the high-intensity workout needed to excel as a soldier, and ultimately struggle to keep up with other soldiers during military drills," he said.
"I see it with a lot of people I know in the army. These young lads, some of them are only 16 or 17 [years old]."
He claimed that media and celebrities that promote body positivity are spreading "misinformation".
"That misinformation gets stored in their brains and they pass it on. In the media and online, the message received by recruits is significantly different and dangerous," he said.
"Body positivity is a lifestyle that promotes complacency and is detrimental to the lives of young soldiers and recruits."
Facebook users have reacted to Morgan's comments, with many agreeing.
"Am I the only person who thinks this is simply common sense," one said.
"I would have thought its obvious you need to be in top shape for front-line combat deployment [sic]."
"It's not OK to be fat, full stop. I am overweight and feel the damage it's doing to my own joints and wellbeing. Accepting fatness as a norm is wrong," said another.
One Twitter user, however, poked fun at the instructor's comments.
"Ordering Dominos and telling myself I'm doing my bit for the pacifist movement," they joked.
