What Is 'Thirst Trap Propaganda'? The Bizarre Phenomenon Of Militaries Posting Hot Soldiers On Social Media

Often when people talk about social media being used for military purposes, they're discussing things like disinformation, misinformation, election interference or recruiting. But there's also another kind of reported psyop underway on TikTok and other social media platforms: "thirst trap propaganda," which features attractive soldiers of armies around the world partaking in internet trends and dances.

Over the last few years, militaries such as the U.S., Israel, Spain and even North Korea have been accused of such content as it's steadily increased in prevalence.

From Lunchbaglujan, the U.S. Army Specialist who fit her e-girl frame into the combat uniform of an American soldier and won the hearts and minds of even the most skeptical posters, to the recent wave of TikToks showing attractive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers dancing has led some people to accuse militaries of adopting the strategies of influencers.

In case you're unfamiliar with this concept or simply want to know more about the budding phenomenon, here's a quick history of "thirst trap propaganda."

What Is 'Thirst Trap Propaganda'?

The slang "thirst trap propaganda" refers to exactly what it sounds like: a thirst trap (that is, a provocative photo posted online to "trap" engagement) used by a nation-state for alleged propaganda reasons.

Often, the thirst trap propaganda is not posted explicitly by a country's military but by influencers who are enlisted. However, militaries like the IDF do, every now and then, post a dance video to TikTok that's been classified by users online as such:

But soldiers enlisted in the IDF also post dance videos. These soldiers tend to be very young since Israel's mandatory military service kicks in when people turn 18. A series of videos posted back in May made the rounds on X and TikTok this past week as violence ramped up during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Other famous influencers include Gun Waifu, who posted this to her Instagram with over 200,000 followers this past week:

In another example from 2017, a military-based television show called Love Missions was similarly accused of using actors as a propaganda tool to improve the junta’s image in Thailand, which backed the project by providing props and extras for the production.

What Is The History Of 'Thirst Trap Propaganda'?

Militaries have used attractive people for recruitment and propaganda purposes for many, many years. Rippling muscles, tight-fitting uniforms and beautiful features have been a part of the imagery of war for ages.

However, this reported tactic has increasingly been documented in the 2010s and early 2020s, such as an ad from the Norwegian Armed Forces in 2016 that one article dubbed a "beautiful Army recruitment ad," showcasing attractive soldiers and stunning landscapes.

Recently, posters on X notably compared what they perceived as propaganda released by Israel to past propaganda campaigns related to Rhodesia, an unrecognized settler colonial state in the territory that is now Zimbabwe.

Why Do Countries Post Thirst Trap Propaganda?

For many, thirst trap propaganda tends to get good engagement and associate positive feelings with a military uniform or organization.

Some speculate that in the case of America's most famous thirst trap propagandist, Lunchbaglujan, it's a "post-ironic psyop" in which the army is hip enough to know that the idea of signing up to fight a war because of an e-girl is crazy, but still drives engagement and increases visibility.

For the full history of thirst trap propaganda, be sure to check out our entries on Lunchbaglujan and IDF Soldiers Dancing TikToks for even more information.