acrylic; 20×16″ 
“Why do people join the military? To fight for their country, to be able to afford college, maybe to get away from dangerous situations. Certainly not to be violated and then blamed for it– but that’s what enlisted women face anyway.
My piece was created to represent these struggling women. It’s an acrylic painting depicting a woman in a housedress standing in the middle of a burning battlefield. She wears a soldier’s cap and her face is hidden by camouflage to represent her as a blank canvas of a soldier, while her housewife attire, bare feet and long hair suggest she’s still caught in the expectations of her gender; to serve and be peaceful. The battlefield represents not just the literal war she fights, but the danger surrounding her just because of her gender. She even wears delicate silver jewelry to depict the idea of shackles and collars, suggesting she feels chained by society’s expectations and desires. 70% of women in the military report being assaulted by a peer or superior at least once, some upwards of 20 times– and women only make up 19% of their branches. This is an unacceptable statistic and it doesn’t even include other forms of harassment or assaults that go unreported. How is America supposed to be this great country when it can’t even protect its own soldiers?”
ARTIST BIO: Atticus HUNTER is a grade 12 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.