According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, approximately 100 million Americans suffer from a chronic pain condition today.  Despite the prevalence of this problem among the entire population, women who suffer from chronic pain in the United States generally face more obstacles when seeking treatment than their male counterparts.  On average, a woman entering an emergency room in excruciating agony will wait sixteen minutes longer to be treated than a man in a similar condition, according to a 2001 University of Maryland study.  Furthermore, females are twenty-five percent less likely to be given opioids than their male counterparts.  Women are, however, much more frequently screened for mental illnesses as a result of their complaints about pain.

As a woman who has suffered from a chronic pain condition for the past decade, I have lived through having my pain be disparaged and questioned by multiple doctors and specialists.  I draw from these occurrences, as well as my daily struggles, in order to create paintings that are a representation of the experience of coping with constant pain and seeking treatment.  Women are frequently expected to just be grateful for what treatment they do receive, and I aim to point out the ridiculousness of this sentiment.