We are Phenomenal Woman

“Phenomenal Woman” written by Maya Angelou is a poem directed to women of all shapes and sizes, skin color and culture. Angelou’s was a black women that live through the hardship that was America’s racism, she died just a year ago but still her words of wisdom are an example to women everywhere. She once said that from a young age she was told that she was not the typical type of pretty that was known in the 50’s and 60’s. But she learned through life that indeed she was pretty, pretty in her own unique way. This is what she displays in that poem. With a relaxed and fun attitude she tells us that “I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size”.

The mayoralty of the poem leads us to know that is not our beauty what makes people look at us, it’s the stride and confidence we demonstrate what gets people’s attention. In a summery, our personality is what makes every one of us special, showing the “mystery” that is our individual strength. Not being anyone’s version of what a women is supposed to be, showing who we are is how we demonstrate to people that women are human beings. They are not models that have to be a certain way every single hour of every single day.

The media, especially in Angelou’s time, had a specific image of what a woman was supposed to be: blue eye, blond, white and adequate. The typical trophy wife. Imagine having to live up to those characteristic when you have none of them. Being an African American women was very hard in those days and most of them tried very hard to fit the mold. Flattening their hair, bleaching cream and diets were some of the things used to fit in. Because at that time and place this women knew it was better to fit the mold than to fight it.

This is what Angelou is trying to shatter, trying to tell women that it is not better to fit the mold. It’s better to be themselves, whatever that may be. Personally I think that every women on earth should know this by heart, that they need to be themselves and not try to imitate society’s vision of a woman. Because society has been shown to be wrong about a lot of things and this is no acceptation. The modern woman knows this and still she chooses to ignore it.

This is not what society should do, it should not makes us feel ashamed about our physical appearance and sure as hell not make us feel bad about being ourselves.  That is what this poem is trying to tell us. That being ourselves is what is going to makes us noticeable to other people. The happiness we show and the attitude we get when we are ourselves is what’s going to make us stand out. Every person, not only women, should know that it’s better to standout in a crowd by being you than to blend in by being society’s version of you.