Entry (Poem): Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou
Analysis of Phenomenal Woman based
on the Feminist Theory
By: Nur Haziqah Binti Othman
(1525112)
Maya Angelou highlighted a
remarkable poem called Phenomenal Woman from And Still I Rose. This poem
celebrated women based on their personality. Woman identity should be based on
their inner self and not solely based on their physical appearance. Therefore,
this analysis will talk about women’s beauty standard and women’s identity.
In this poem, Angelou did not emphasize on the ideal image
to be a woman like the beauty industry highlighted on such as the slim figure
or the gracefulness. Rather, she mentioned that she was not cute and do not
have a body of a catwalk model. She breaks the typical description of how
society would normally portray women. She said, “I’m not cute or built to suit
a fashion model’s size”. Woman should be celebrated and cherished because of
their contribution to the family and society. Angelou tried to reach out to
women out there that there is nothing wrong in not fit in the standard size or
figure determined by the beauty or fashion industry. Women can be who they want
to be regardless of how they look like or what size they wear. Thus, women are
allowed to be beautiful according to their own definition and be happy.
In the second stanza, she mentioned
her personal traits that show how happy she is with herself. She foregrounds
the attributes that make a woman looks phenomenal. Again, a woman should not be
defining based on her size to be seen happy. But, as Angelou said, “It’s the
fire in my eyes”. A woman can conquer success without submitting themselves to
society’s expectations. She must be proud of who she is, a woman has to believe
that her personality radiates beauty. A woman can feel powerful without
patronizing others. Besides, the repetitive line of “Phenomenal Woman. That’s
me” gives a woman a sense of new identity. Hence, a woman should be known for
their personal traits and not their body measurement.
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