Homage To My Hips By Lucille Clifton

In recent headlines, an American businesswoman was sent home from work without pay for not wearing the required heel height shoe to work. This woman quit her job to take a stand for women’s rights, and within a matter of days, other women began sharing stories of how it was required by their offices to wear a minimum heel height also. This is just a small example of the unfair stipulations placed on women in today’s patriarchal society. Lucille Clifton, an avid women right’s advocate, has dedicated the majority of her life to the progression of women’s rights through her writing. In her poem, “homage to my hips,” Clifton uses “hips” to symbolize women and their desire for equality in today’s male dominated world. Clifton’s poem attempts

In the first few lines Clifton says, “these hips are big hips / they need space to / move around in”(lines 1-3). These lines immediately invoke an idea of hips, implied women, needing opportunities and room in this world to make a difference. Women will not fit into societies molds predetermined for them simply because of there gender. Instead, women need the same opportunities for advancement and success that men are given. These lines begin to allude to the fluid movement of the poem that is similar to hips swinging. The movement of the poem is amplified by the poet’s significant choice to use free form instead of a more traditional form. Clifton’s decision to use free form is another way for her to show women breaking tradition with success and grace. The movement and free form in this poem also symbolizes the way in which women are approaching the male dominated world. Women are attempting to break down stereotypes while proving they are capable and intelligent, in order to reiterate that gender has no affect on one’s intelligence or

Clifton’s usage of large hips to represent women gives the reader a clear mental image of something large and demanding more space just like women of today. Her style choice of free form breaks the traditional poetry forms, which accompanies her message about women needing to break tradition in today’s patriarchal society in order to better their lives. The imagery in the poem coney’s the strength and the determination of women breaking free from societies shackles and stereotypes. In concluding her poem, Clifton wants the reader to be left feeling empowered and hopeful with her decision to shift a tone about the advantage that comes from the unique qualities of women that men do not possess. If women do not take heed to the message of Lucille Clifton in this poem about the urgency and need for gender equality, the problem women face will only progress. The destruction of gender discrimination will not be immediate or easy, but through this poem, Lucille Clifton hopes to encourage other women to join the