US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has been criticised after sharing a photograph of two people in uniform from a Canadian youth cadet programme with the caption “this is real”. The image showed a teenage cadet receiving a medal from someone reported to be a volunteer instructor.

The post was widely interpreted as mocking their appearance. The civilian Army Cadet League of Canada accused Hegseth of online harassment, saying that derogatory comments directed at young people working to improve themselves and serve their communities were unacceptable.

Hegseth has previously linked appearance with military fitness. While introducing stricter fitness requirements in 2025, he said it was “completely unacceptable” to see “fat generals and admirals” in positions of command.

Many military roles require considerable physical fitness, and appropriate standards serve a clear purpose. Hegseth’s social media post, however, provided no information about the abilities or fitness of the people pictured. It invited viewers to infer these things from their appearance.

Some people may brush this off by repeating the playground rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” One of my primary school teachers once said this after another child made fun of me because I was fat. I have a terrible memory, but I still remember those words.

Since then, I........

© The Conversation