Boots, Rifles, & Diamonds

Boots, Rifles, & Diamonds

If there has been anything discovered in recent years, it is that women come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and that’s okay. This project is intended to highlight all those differences in order to bring unity and understanding to female roles in the military.

Photos and text by Emma Hall

Hidden in the secluded south-western Lebanese town of Naqoura – just a few miles from the nearest Israeli town – lies the united nations interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). established in 1978, the goal was to restore international peace and security, confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and help maintain authority in the area. since then, thousands of people have joined to maintain and further peace, but when you look at the current numbers of both military and civilian peacekeepers combined, only about 6.7% of these are women.

the roles of women peacekeepers vary from doctors, physical trainers, infantry leaders, and more. despite the role of females being low in the military, when asked if they had faced any discrimination the answer was always a no. even though there is no difference between men and women in the work atmosphere, female peacekeepers possess many qualities that men don’t. commanders and colleagues alike made it clear that women provide compassion, empathy, and a perspective unique to the work they do. in a male dominated environment, most women say that it is essential to find ways to maintain their femininity by wearing earrings and lipstick.

If there has been anything discovered in recent years, it is that women come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and that’s okay. this project is intended to highlight all those diversities in order to bring unity and a common understanding to women’s roles in the military.

Photos and text by Emma Hall


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