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| Source: Madame Zenista |
Maya Angelou is a women’s activist and a great artist. She uses poetry to express herself with her simple language conveying deeper meanings. Phenomenal Woman is one of the poems from Angelou's collection, Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women. Divided into four stanzas, it's a free-verse poem challenging the traditional concept of beauty.
The word Phenomenal itself means remarkable, exceptional, or extremely good. A Phenomenal Woman is a stunning woman who is attractive and confident in her skin. The speaker provides several arguments proving that she is a Phenomenal Woman through and through.
Summary
In the poem Phenomenal Woman, the speaker says that pretty women wonder why despite being ‘not cute’ or ‘built to suit a fashion model's size’, she is attractive. When she reveals the secret of her beauty the pretty women do not believe her.
The speaker's womanly body and traits i.e. the way she walks confidently, her stretched hips and arms along with her curved lips make her attractive. When she walks into a room men flock around her like ‘honey bees’. They either stand or bend down on their knees as they stare at her extraordinary beauty.
For it is ‘the fire in my eyes’, ‘flash of my teeth’, ‘swing in my waist’, and ‘joy in my feet’ that makes the speaker ‘Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman’. These men are unable to find the reason behind her charming self.
They cannot touch her ‘inner mystery’ as they focus on her physical appearance. So, the speaker informs them that it is her curved back, her blinding smile, her graceful style, along with the ‘ride of my breasts’ that makes her charming irrespective of her skin color.
The speaker concludes that these pretty women understand that she walks with full confidence as her ‘head's not bowed’. When she passes them, women feel proud of her presence as it is the sound of her heels, her hairstyle, and the palm of her hand and her need to care that makes her presence felt. The secret to her beauty lies in her inner self, her confidence in herself, and her attractive figure.
Themes
Phenomenal Woman focuses on women’s beauty, self-acceptance, identity, and self-love. The main theme of womanhood prevails throughout the poem. When women are confident in their skin and find their inner beauty, she is Phenomenal.
It is a woman’s self-acceptance that makes her irresistible. While society expects women to be apologetic about their imperfections, Phenomenal Woman rejects these ideas. The speaker prides her body’s imperfections while accepting herself the way she is. All women can be Phenomenal if they embrace their insecurities. The only validation a woman needs is herself.
My Opinion
Phenomenal Woman has been very close to my heart. The poem feels very personal as I recognize the women it talks about. It is relatable and makes me feel empowered whenever I think about it. Sending such a positive message through unsophisticated words shocks you. You start believing that you are a Phenomenal Woman.
I believe Phenomenal Woman is a poem filled with strength and determination. Defying the stereotypes that we women have been facing for ages, the poem gives women the secret to real beauty. Real beauty is in our confidence as we walk with our heads held high.
It is in our self-acceptance of ourselves because we cannot replicate ourselves. It is in our strength as we fight our way in a society where we are told what to do by everyone. Real beauty is understanding the inner beauty of ourselves.
Skin colors, heights, the color of your eyes, your thighs, your hips, and your breasts do not introduce your sexuality. The moment we become confident that we can do it, that we are enough and that we deserve it, everything about us becomes beautiful and Phenomenal.
Conclusion
Angelou uses repetition in each stanza. The line I say connects the stanzas focusing on the speaker. The last four lines get repeated in each stanza showing the speaker’s specialty and her utmost importance.
I am a woman
Phenomenally,
Phenomenal Woman
That’s me.
The word ‘Phenomenal’ is repeated numerous times in the poem driving home women's strength. This lyrical poem sends out an important message for women; No matter how you are seen by the world, empowerment comes from you being confident in your skin. Fairness of skin does not qualify as beauty. It is the inner beauty that makes women desired. This universal message is the only truth a woman needs to believe in.
Written by Garima Jain
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