Armies often exude masculine tradition but the British Army is expanding its recruitment scope to include "millennial snowflakes" and "selfie addicts".
The British Army has released poster designs intended to attract young people with qualities such as confidence, focus and drive, the BBC reports.
The designs resemble a renowned World War One image of former British war minister Lord Kitchener, which, according to history expert Alex Walton, wasn't actually issued as an official recruitment poster.
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Nonetheless, the original layout makes for an effective modern recruitment campaign. The past and present have been combined to attract new recruits including women.
"Phone zombies your army needs you and your focus," one of the posters says, next to an image of what appears to be a female army officer.
Another poster says, "Selfie addicts your army needs you and your confidence."
The posters are part of the Army's campaign This is Belonging, which includes TV ads featuring young people who feel undervalued in their jobs and want to try something new and meaningful.
The original poster of Lord Kitchener appeared on the front of the London Opinion magazine in 1914. It was created by illustrator Alfred Leete, and has since inspired many copycat designs.
"What's interesting is that this latest campaign is really picking up on modern trends but then they've also used the style of a World War One poster," Ms Walton told the BBC.
But she noted that the themes of modern recruitment campaigns remain very different to those of the past.
Reactions to the posters have been mixed, with some on Twitter hailing the idea while others called it "terrible".
"In my personal opinion; I think this is terrible," one person wrote.
Another said the campaign screams "cool dad syndrome", going on to explain it as a father who thinks he's cool but "in reality is completely out of touch".
A supporter said it's a "great campaign" that allows people who have been labelled "liberal snowflakes" to use the skills they have.
"What's wrong with that?"
Newshub.
