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By Maya Angelou. Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size. But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step,
‘Phenomenal Woman’ appeared in Maya Angelou’s third volume of poetry, And Still I Rise. It was first published in 1978. In this poem, she celebrates her body and the bodies, and positive characteristics of all women. Angelou, who died at the age of 86 in 2014, is one of the most celebrated poets and memoirists in American literature.
"Phenomenal Woman" is a poem by Maya Angelou, first published in 1978. The poem rejects narrow societal expectations of women and proposes an alternative perspective on what defines real beauty. Confidence and comfort in one's own skin, the speaker insists, are the markers of true beauty.
By repeating the phrase "phenomenal woman," Angelou asserts her presence and challenges traditional definitions of beauty. She highlights her physical attributes, such as her arms, hips, and gait, as sources of pride and strength.
‘Phenomenal Woman’ is a 1994 poem by the American poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014). Angelou was a singer, dancer, composer, actor, teacher, memoirist, and poet: a woman of many talents. She was also a key voice in the American civil rights movement.
phenomenal woman. Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size but when I start to tell them, they think I'm telling lies. I say, it's in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips. I'm a woman phenomenally.
Maya Angelou’s 1978 poem “Phenomenal Woman” is something of a Black feminist manifesto, delivered by a confident Black female speaker who’s proud of her beauty and her sexuality. What’s so remarkable about this speaker is her refusal to submit to her society’s idealized beauty standards.
