In light of Women’s History Month, I was thinking back to some prominent women who inspire me. I thought of my mother, grandmothers, some friends, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou as a result. Specifically, I feel Maya Angelou has had one of the most significant and early impacts on my self-esteem as a woman.
It began back with a poetry recitation project in middle school. This was for our Language Arts class and counted as a pretty solid chunk of our grade. I figured the assignment would be easy since I loved poetry, but I realized I knew more about writing it rather than knowing poets I liked. Telling my grandmother about the upcoming project, she gave me a small and black book. It was thin and in large letters it said: Phenomenal Woman.
(Courtesy of Good Reads)
I read all of those poems at least a hundred-times, but I chose to recite Phenomenal Woman. Throughout middle school up until my sophomore year, I had major self-esteem issues. I was extremely insecure and any remark at my appearance could bring me to tears and frustration. I absolutely hated my appearance and I couldn’t stand the thought of others thinking I wasn’t “pretty.”
So, reading this poem was something I never expected to do in front of my middle school class. I remember shaking so hard I could barely read the words on the page. I took a breath, looked up, and read. I felt like a new person. Each word I made it count and each word I was mindful of its power.
This moment for me was the beginning of my path to self-love and self-confidence. From that day on, I realized how much I am worth and how much potential I have. Having confidence in myself made me have confidence in my looks, but also in never doubting myself in whatever obstacles I am thrown in life.
Happy Women’s History Month!
(Courtesy of Women’s History Month)