Phenomenal woman, that's me

The girls in China have a confidence problem. This semester, I decided to fix it. In my classes, we've talked frequently about beauty, inner beauty, confidence, how strength isn't just for men, etc. Despite pushing the subject so much, I'm not sure it's made much difference. But in a culture where "San Ba" (translated means 3 8, March 8) is both the name of International Women's Day and a slightly derogatory nickname for a woman who is too independent or doesn't know her place, I can't blame them for being a little hesitant or unable to embrace their woman-ness. The culture as a whole doesn't really encourage female power. Also, girls here are obsessed with beauty. They'll go so far as to bleach their skin, wear black contacts to make their eyes appear bigger, or smear youth-enhancing sheep placenta on their various body parts in order to fit the pretty rigid beauty mold (ask anyone: the requirements for beauty are white skin, big eyes, long hair, a "tall" nose, size zero clothing, and a small mouth). So between the cultural pressure and their own desires for acceptance and beauty, they've had some trouble taking my advice to heart.

So in light of our recent discussions about racial and gender equality in the U.S., I decided to bring to my Lit class a poem celebrating WOMAN. Check it out: Phenomenal Woman, by Maya Angelou.

I expected an energetic response from a class of 30 girls and 3 boys, but I got pretty blank faces all around. We even read it, they discussed it in groups, and still... nothing. So I metaphorically pulled up my sleeves and decided I needed to do some inspiring. (And considering this morning started with me lying on the kitchen floor in pain, I didn't expect anything good to come of the morning's classes.) The poem's not about being beautiful or fitting into the beauty expectations of your culture, it's about looking at all the flaws in your body and saying "you know what, those are mine! And they're awesome!" It's about confidence, no matter what "pretty women" or men think. I feel a little pride looking back at the experience. I feel like finally I may have changed their minds a little bit. I had a limited number of copies (I've started limiting my copies and collecting them after class since Earth Day), but I told them if they liked the poem and wanted to keep it around for inspiration or encouragement, they could. Usually, the kids just drop the copies back on my desk on the way out, but today, I got ambushed! The girls who didn't have a copy of the poem rushed up to me like it was Halloween and I was giving out free Reese's.

So, overall, a successful day. And one last word for the ladies:

I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.