Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion 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 steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Send this to 5 phenomenal women today in celebration of Women's History Month.

Did you know....

There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and ONLY 3 WHO DO.

Marilyn Monroe wore a SIZE 12.

If Barbie were a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

The average American woman weighs 144 lbs. and wears between a size 12 and 14.

If shop mannequins were real women, THEY'D BE TOO THIN TO MENSTRUATE.

One out of every 4 college aged women has an eating disorder.
The models in the magazines are airbrushed - THEY'RE NOT PERFECT!!
A psychological study in 1995 found that 3 minutes spent looking at models in a fashion magazine caused
70% of women to feel depressed, guilty and shameful.

Models who twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman, today weigh 23% less.