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.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I love these opening words from “Phenomenal Woman” by Dr. Maya Angelou. They’re rich and regal, secure, with finesse rather than sass. Maybe a little sass, but it’s stylish, so it’s allowed. I don’t know what makes a woman phenomenal woman in your eyes. As I blogged a few weeks back, society makes much too much of our bodies and that the desire to be slim, is now the desire to be thin. Kate Moss’ motto “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” that caused such a furor, was apparently taken out of context. Still, I’m left trying to imagine what kind of diet Kate Moss (known for the “waif” look), would need to be on - other than one that might include a lot more substantial roast dinners.
But it’s not just the body thing though is it, that pressurizes women. Its sex, its friendships, its family responsibility. It’s being the perfect mother, or having a great career. Having a stylish home. The list goes on. Cultural Analyst, marketing expert and author Clotaire Rapaille spent decades studying cultures, watching consumers, advising companies on how to design appealing products for the general public. He noted that American women are expected to be beautiful but not too beautiful; intelligent, but not too intelligent. If you have romance, then it has to be amazing, if you are going to be a mum, then you need to be supermom!
Does this level of pressure produce phenomenal women, or overstretched, overcommitted, sometimes neurotic ones? Where do we see something of the inner confidence that resonates from Angelou’s words? Do you see it in your relationships when a friend, a sister gets the life you longed for? Is it evident in the midst of everyday ordinary life? Is it just poetry?
We know that being Christians does not mean that we no longer feel nor face the insecurities and mixed messages communicated to today’s women. But what difference does knowing Jesus, walking with Jesus make to your everyday life, your sense of worth and value, your acceptance of your strengths and weaknesses and limitations. What difference does our life with God make to as Angelou later writes to “the fire in my eyes”, “the sun in my smile” or “the grace of my style”?
I believe in Him, we find something… Phenomenal.
