Inner Beauty In Maya Angelou's Poem Phenomenal Woman

Society places values to outward presence of beauty. Maya Angelou, who is the author of the poem “Phenomenal Woman,” explains that inner beauty is her strength. This work not only celebrates women of any shape and size, but also the power and strength women have within themselves. Angelou wrote this in the 1970’s towards the end of the Black Arts Movement. Women of color began taking the place of what society had traditionally set in the public eye, which was the white woman with a fashion model physique (Poetry Foundation). Despite being subjected to oppression and discrimination based on race and gender, a Phenomenal Woman’s success comes from her inner beauty, her confidence, grace, and abilities in the way she carries herself as a woman. …show more content…
Directly in the opening stanza, Angelou describes body detail, “I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size” ( line 2). She lets readers know that it is not her physical body traits that are attractive to people; it is the characteristics that cannot be seen or touched, her inner beauty. The way the narrator speaks in a clear and direct tone throughout the work, portrays that she has a bold and confident attitude. Angelou writes “It’s in the reach of my arms,/ The span of my hips,/ The stride of my step,/ The curl of my lips”/ (7-10) and this explains that she is a woman of larger size; her long arms, wide hips, longer legs that allow her to take larger steps; not that of a dainty lady. Her expression of her self-confidence is steady; it does not interfere with her elegance and grace as a