Stop staring at my breasts — oh wait, that’s where my rank is

quote:

---

The placement of the rank on the chest is a concern for many women during promotion ceremonies. It is customary during a promotion ceremony for a senior military leader to remove the old rank and replace it with the new insignia. This can make the leader and a newly promoted female soldier uncomfortable, during and after. A wrong photo angle, and bam! It looks as if the male soldier is touching a woman’s breasts. Worse, the brushing of a hand on the breasts could be perceived as a sexual assault.

---

quote:

---

Some senior leaders quickly write off this concern by saying they have never heard this issue discussed before, but it has been, and it is, on soldiers’ minds. Many women I know say that having the rank placed on the chest is inappropriate and, at times, uncomfortable. Conversely, many male soldiers are quick to say that they do not change the insignia on the breasts during a promotion ceremony. Throughout the years, I have heard numerous male leaders awkwardly ask during a promotion ceremony: “May I touch you?” Asking this in public can put the soldier in a position where she feels like she cannot say no, even if she is uncomfortable with the touching

---

quote:

---

There is scant evidence that the uniform change years ago led to an increase in sexual harassment or assault, but it still remains a concern within the larger issue, which has taken center stage in the past decade. Sexual assault reporting in the military has quadrupled from 2006 to 2018 and continues to increase yearly. These numbers demonstrate progress in awareness of the many issues surrounding sexual misconduct in the ranks and the steep hill the Army still must climb to appropriately combat the problem. Every little bit helps.

---

quote:

---

The Army also should update its promotion ceremony protocols to ensure no one gets touched on the chest, no matter their gender.

---