Modern body armor designed for women turned out superior for majority of male soldiers

What was said

"About 10 years ago when women were first allowed into the close combat force in the military for the first time, they realized the body armor was way too heavy. And so the army had to design body armor specifically for women. So it had to be smaller, more mobile. You could mix and match parts and they made it much lighter. And it turned out that it was better for a huge portion of the force. So they had to start calling it and they had things like a notch in the back for a hair bun, but it turns out everyone wants to be able to raise their head when they're lying prone on the ground or to be able to shoulder a rifle, things like that."

Epstein describes how the US Army's body armor became progressively heavier from Vietnam through Iraq, turning soldiers into immobile turtles. When women joined close combat forces 10 years ago, the Army was forced to redesign armor specifically for them with lighter, more mobile designs. The new armor proved superior for a huge portion of male soldiers as well, but had to be rebranded as 'unisex' to overcome resistance from men who wouldn't adopt gear initially designed for women.