A U.S. Army ad went viral last weekend after a Twitter user compared it to a Russian army ad to show a difference in the tone and messaging. The Russian ad shows traditionally masculine men undergoing military fitness training, while the American ad is a colorful cartoon telling the story of how Cpl. Emma Malonelord decided to join the military. She says she was "raised by two moms” and “marched for equality.” The video shows her at her moms’ wedding and holding signs at a rally before she states that she graduated at the top of her class and found "a way to prove my inner strength" by joining the U.S. Army.

After the tweet went viral, reactions were largely divided along the left and the right. Voices from the right pointed to the ad as a reflection of the "feminization of U.S. society," as well as a reflection of a purported shift in American ethos from "sacrificing...in the name of a higher good" to "glorifying" and "elevating" oneself. Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted, “Holy crap. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea....”  Cruz received some criticism for purportedly implying that the Russian military was better than America's. Voices from the left also criticized Cruz, saying it doesn’t matter who joins the military because in the end they will be effectively trained to serve. Some on the left also said that the U.S. ad recruits by appealing to what makes Americans consider their country worth defending, while the Russian ad does this by appealing to "angry young men looking for a violent outlet."