Mum of youngest soldier to die in Afghanistan slams Army’s ‘Love Island’ ads to recruit teens lacking confidence

THE mum of Britain’s youngest soldier to die in Afghanistan has slammed the Army’s new ads aimed at enticing new recruits with the promise of a Love Island body.

The campaign targets social media users with the promise of building confidence that can “last a lifetime” – rather than “for a summertime”.

But Lucy Aldridge, whose son William, 18, died in a bomb blast in 2009, claims young people are “being sold a lie”.

She told the BBC: “If you’re taking on people that are already lacking in confidence, this is something that could ultimately break them.”

The £3.1million campaign feature collages of makeup, social media reaction buttons, toned bodies and pints of beer, and says they only give quick hits of confidence.

One image shows five emojis and reads: “Confidence can last as long as a like or it can last a lifetime”.

Another, of a face with makeup, says: “Confidence can be reapplied every morning or it can last a lifetime”.

AD BACKLASH

It comes after the Army revealed its controversial campaign targeting “snowflakes” and “me, me, me millennials” last year was its most successful in a decade.

But Lucy, from Bromyard, Herts, has blasted both adverts, saying: “This year they are actually targeting people who are lacking in confidence and suggesting that Army training is something that can give you confidence.

“That may be the case for some people but it will be a minority where that would act as a confidence-boosting exercise.

“If you’re going to recruit from a pool of people that are already lacking in self-confidence, you are giving them the belief that Army recruitment is something that will help them in all areas of their life that they maybe don’t have at the moment – that’s not true.”

‘PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE’

She has been backed in her comments by Adrian Major, whose son Jimmy, from Cleethorpes, was 18 when he was killed in November 2009.

He fumed: “My son joined the Army because he wanted a career, not because he needed a boost in his confidence.

“At the end of the day if you get into the Army you’re going to be carrying weapons and guns. You are putting your life on the line fighting for your country.”

The Army is hoping its new campaign will follow on from the success of last year’s when 90,000 people applied to join – despite the ads being mocked for targeting “Snowflakes”, “Phone Zombies” and “Binge Gamers”.

Colonel Nick MacKenzie, head of the Army’s recruiting, said he hopes the campaign can “highlight that a career in the Army not only provides exciting opportunities, challenges and adventures but it also gives you a lasting confidence that is hard to find in any other profession”.

He added: “This campaign tells a story of character built on camaraderie and encouragement, of unshakeable self-confidence built on overcoming challenges.”