![]() In the above poem, Lee calls on us as women to take a cue from the world around us and take up as much room as we need. Among them is poet Becca Lee, whose poetry focuses on the cathartic and transformative experiences of different women. Though Instagram is often thought of as a superficial app promoting vanity above all else, any woman in her late teens or twenties can tell you about the feminist creators and poets who have begun using the platform in the past few years to create a corner of the Internet just for women. Nguyen’s casual, questioning writing style almost feels like a friend asking you for advice, making it that much more cathartic when the final lines finally sink in. Though it’s important to embrace the beauty and mysteries of being a woman, it’s equally as important to read works about the uncertainty and worries that also come with it. Clifton takes the time in this poem to present something polite society tells us never to mention and shows how it connects us not just to some other women, but also to the moon, tides and nature itself.Īll the Good Women Are Gone (Susan Nguyen) One of the most basic ways we can learn to embrace ourselves as women is to embrace the things that society rejects in us. Poem in praise of menstruation (Lucille Clifton) Loving yourself doesn’t just change the way you think about yourself, it changes the way you think about the entire world around you. ![]() This poem might be short and sweet, but it still manages to provide perspective into the importance of self-love and self-care. Bold makeup, late nights and erotic poetry. That being said, doesn’t Parker’s way seem a bit more fun. When we look past all the patriarchal social norms and accepted definitions of womanhood, what does being a woman really mean? This poem is great not because it answers this question but because it recognizes that it can’t, instead asking us to look within ourselves to determine the true nature of femininity.įirst, let me just say: I have no issues with women who do follow the little list Parker gives us for the behavior of Ladies Men Admire. But over the next few years it would come to be a poem that caused me to seriously contemplate, grieve for and celebrate womanhood in equal parts. I first discovered this poem when I was a freshman in college. And that when we’re not, we’re no less important. But it’s just as important to remember that we don’t always have to be happy or brave. One of the best ways to combat that is to do just what this poem says: ask your body what she needs and then actually follow through.ĭo a quick Google search for “feminist poetry” and you’re sure to find dozens of poems commending women for their positivity and confidence, their hope in hopeless situations. We’re so bombarded with movies, advertisements, and influences who tell us we need to have flat stomachs, clear skin, a great ass, a tiny waist. Today I Asked My Body What She Needed (Hollie Holden) Women are judged for being too flirty, too serious, too driven, too maternal- why shouldn’t we just give it all up and be what we want? There comes a time in every woman’s life when she rejects the character society expects her to be, whether that be the straight-laced Good Girl (as in Harris’ case), the Not Like the Other girl, or any other patriarchy-approved role. ![]() You wouldn’t believe the changes you’ll see in yourself once you start surrounding yourself with people who want you to be your best self. Though there is definitely merit in forgiveness and understanding, there’s also merit in knowing your own worth and what you will (and won’t) tolerate. We’re taught to question our anger and hurt. ![]() If there’s one poem on this list that I would encourage every woman and girl to read, it would be this one!Īs women, we’re taught to forgive. Instead, she laughs at those who doubt her and continues, as the title of the poem suggests, to rise. Angelou somehow manages to be realistic about the judgment that comes from being a confident and sexual and free woman without being pessimistic. Would it even be a list of empowering poetry without a mention of Still I Rise? This is one of the most inspiring poems I can think of. So, without further ado, here we go: thirty-five feminist poems to empower and inspire you. These thirty-five poems all center around each poet’s experiences of womanhood, whether that means questioning it, celebrating it, raging against it, or some combination of the three. Maybe that’s what makes it the perfect vehicle for talking about the experiences of being a woman. As anyone who’s taken a high school English class can tell you, poetry has always been used to show deep and often conflicting emotions.
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