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.

These four lines (lines 1–4) open the poem, and they immediately establish how the speaker distinguishes herself from conventionally “pretty” women. Unlike these women, the speaker isn’t skinny like a fashion model, nor does she aspire to be. Even so, she possesses an undeniable allure that baffles those other women who do aspire for conventional attractiveness. Throughout the poem, the speaker readily reveals the source of her allure, demonstrating that it’s anything but “secret.” Specifically, her secret lies not in the physical appearance of her form, but in the way she carries herself. Despite the speaker’s willingness to share her secrets, the “pretty women” refuse to believe her. Their refusal says something important about the strong hold societal beliefs have on us as individuals. When everything in our society tells women that they should look a certain way if they want to be considered beautiful, it becomes very difficult to accept alternative perspectives that reject conventional ideas.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.

These lines (lines 30–34) open the third stanza. Just as conventionally “pretty women” feel baffled by the speaker’s allure, the men she encounters don’t fully understand the source of their attraction to her. Like the pretty women, these men are constantly bombarded with images that construct a certain image of female beauty. As a result of this bombardment, the men come to desire—or think they desire—a certain type of woman. And yet, the men find themselves inexplicably attracted to the speaker. Though they “swarm” (line 19) around her like “honey bees” (line 20), they can’t understand the “inner mystery” that compels their desire. As she did with respect to the pretty women, the speaker goes on to locate the source of her mystery not in the way her body looks, but in her unique way of embodying feminine sexuality.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.

The speaker utters these lines (lines 46–49) at the top of the fourth and final stanza. The lines read like the conclusion to an argument. The speaker has primed the reader for this conclusion throughout the first three stanzas. She has demonstrated how, despite not fulfilling her society’s expectations for conventional beauty, she nevertheless draws positive attention from men and women alike. It’s precisely because of this positive attention that the speaker comes to the conclusion articulated in these lines. That is, the world around her responds positively to her embodiment of femininity, and because of this, she has no reason to bow her head in shame or insecurity. Likewise, she has no reason to make a spectacle of herself to get attention. All she has to do is be herself: a phenomenal woman.

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

These four lines comprise the refrain that appears at the end of each stanza (lines 10–13, 26–29, 42–45, and 57–60). By closing every stanza with this refrain, the speaker underscores her own sense of pride and self-confidence. In this sense, the speaker’s tone is celebratory. However, there’s also a hint of defiance in her words. Indeed, by emphasizing the broader importance of self-acceptance, the speaker drives home her ultimate point that any woman, regardless of whether she is conventionally “pretty,” can be a phenomenal woman. In this passage, the word “phenomenal” has a twofold meaning, and the speaker references both. On the one hand, the word refers to the appearances of things and to our perception of them. This is the word’s technical definition, which the speaker references by insisting that her way of embodying femininity is an observable phenomenon that others can perceive if only they open their eyes. On the other hand, phenomenal can be used as a synonym for “remarkable” or “exceptional.” This is the word’s more colloquial meaning, and it has a strongly positive connotation. In summary, if the speaker is a “phenomenal woman,” it’s because she has a remarkable way of embodying femininity that’s easy to recognize, if also difficult to mimic.

Take a Study Break