Maya Angelou Inspired
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.
A verse from Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman describes the sheer brilliance, opulence and sensuality of what it means to be women. Angelou writes in first person describing her beauty, and in doing so, celebrates women of all shapes, sizes and colours. The poem reflects on female power, especially in the context of men. The use of the word phenomenal, repeated throughout, can be interpreted in many ways, beautiful, alluring, amazing, exceptional, mysterious, powerful, unbelievable and surprising.
Representing the poem, Stephie looked for unusual combinations of flowers such as hellebore’s, ferns and snowdrops, rosemary and prairie gentian, calla lillies, petals and plumosa ferns. Stephie set up a camera and tripod over a black backdrop, carefully arranging the floral arrangements with tweezers. She arranged the flowers to look like fireworks as in a celebration of womanhood and sensuality.
Scarves and t-shirts can be found featuring two unique designs inspired by Maya Angelous poem, Flame and Flare. Stephie carefully creates each product by designing the print around the scarf or t-shirt shape. The striking t-shirts are designed to enhance the wearers femininity.