Woman colonel who said female soldiers used in Army publicity shots should be ugly 'steps down'

Col. Lynette Arnhart said 'ugly women are perceived as competent while pretty women are perceived as having used their looks to get ahead' in leaked email exchange

The Army announced Friday that she has been taken off a gender integration study



She referenced attractive Cpl Kristine Tejeda from an Army magazine shoot as being an example

Miss Kansas, an Army sergeant and Miss America contestant Theresa Vail hit back on Twitter

Cpl Tejeda's ex-husband told MailOnline she's upset about the controversy

Stepped down: Colonel Lynette Arnhart stepped down from an Army gender study today after controversial emails of hers were leaked online

The colonel who sparked controversy this week over opinions that only pictures of ugly or average women be used in promotional pictures, has 'stepped down' from a gender integration study, according to an Army spokesman



Col Lynette Arnhart was heading a gender integration study when her controversial emails were leaked to the public.



'In general, ugly women are perceived as competent while pretty women are perceived as having used their looks to get ahead,' wrote Col. Lynette Arnhart in one email exchange seen by Politico.

A public affairs officer has also been suspended following the leak.



The messages from Col Arnhart were sent to Army spokesmen and women to instruct them how to best talk in public about female roles on the front line.

To illustrate her point, Arnhart cited a photo used with an article by Gen. Robert W. Cone in Army Magazine. Cone, the TRADOC commanding general, wrote about Soldier 2020, the Army’s effort to open up all Army jobs to women.



Arnhart believes the point of the article failed because of the photo of attractive Corporal Kristine Tejada that was used with the article.

'There is a general tendency to select nice looking women when we select a photo to go with an article (where the article does not reference a specific person). It might behoove us to select more average looking women for our comms strategy.



Too pretty? Cpl. Kristine Tejeda appeared in an article by Gen. Robert W. Cone in Army Magazine. Cone, the TRADOC commanding general, wrote about Soldier 2020, the Army's effort to open up all Army jobs to women

Deterrent: Cpl. Kristine Tejada during her service in Iraq - an internal memo stated that using pictures of this attractive soldier might deter the public from accepting women on the front lines of war in the future

Gritty: The memo circulated and seen by POLITICO suggests that images of hard working women in the trenches would play better with the public

'For example, the attached article shows a pretty woman, wearing make-up while on deployed duty. Such photos undermine the rest of the message (and may even make people ask if breaking a nail is considered hazardous duty),' Arnhart wrote, according to Politico.



Arnhart believes that it is preferable to use pictures of women covered in mud, an image that 'sends a much different message - one of women willing to do the dirty work necessary in order to get the job done.'

Arnhart sent her email to originally to two people, including Colonel Christian Kubik, the chief of public affairs for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).



He in turn forwarded the email to all the army's public affairs officers who work with TRADOC with the note attached, 'A valuable reminder from the TRADOC experts who are studying gender integration - when public affairs officers choose photos that glamorize women, we undermine our own efforts.



'Please use 'real' photos that are typical, not exceptional.'

Angered: Theresa Vail, the 22-year-old Miss Kansas and Miss America contestant, hit out on Twitter: 'Unfortunately that is the sick reality and one of the many stereotypes I'm trying to break'

Corporal Tejeda's ex-husband was one of the many to disagree with Arnhart's opinions on female soldiers.

Adalberto Tejeda told MailOnline yeterday that he spoke to her about the controversy and said she's 'frustrated and bothered by all of it'.

He added that Kristine, 23, was promoted to sergeant since the pictures were taken in Iraq a few years ago and that she has now left the Army. She is now a full-time student in El Paso, Texas.

He did add however that a lot of other guys liked her' because of her looks. Like the Colonel, he did agree that she doesn't look like your typical female U.S. soldier.

Another critic of the Arnhart's is Army sergent-turned-beaty queen Theresa Vail, the 22-year-old Miss Kansas.



Yesterday Ms Vail hit out on Twitter, saying: 'Unfortunately that is the sick reality and one of the many stereotypes I'm trying to break'.

Miss Vail, who has a tattoo of the Army Dental Corps insignia on her shoulder, as well as the Serenity Prayer inked round her torso, added: 'However, it is going to take an army of women to break that perception, not just myself'.

Anger: Miss Vail, who has a tattoo of the Army Dental Corps insignia on her shoulder, as well as the Serenity Prayer inked on her torso, responded to Colonel Lynette Arnhart, right: 'It is going to take an army of women to break that perception, not just myself'

Vail has just signed up for another six years and has talked in the past about how she was inspired by her soldier father, who has been in the Army for 33 years, to join up.

In a recent interview she said: 'My whole platform is empowering women to overcome stereotypes and break barriers. How can I tell other women to be fearless and true to themselves if I can't do the same? I am who I am, tattoos and all.'

In a statement, Army spokesman George Wright said the comments 'were an internal email conversation' and 'not an Army position.'



Critics jumped on the emails as proof that the army's attitudes towards women in its ranks needs to modernize.



Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) tweeted that it was 'another example that @USArmy just doesn’t get it as it debates if pretty girls should be used in pamphlets.'



One Army source said to POLITICO, 'It scares me to think that these are people involved in gender integration.'