Homage To My Hips

"These hips are big hips.

they need space to 

move around in.

They don't fit into little

petty places. these hips

are free hips.

They don't like to be held back.

These hips have never been enslaved,

they go where they want to go 

They do what they want to do. 

These hips are mighty hips.

These hips are magic hips. 

I have known them

to put a spell on a man and 

spin him like a top."

All throughout this poem, Lucille Clifton very clearly illustrates a strong idea of symbolism regarding her “hips”. As mentioned in her introduction, Clifton is renowned for alluding to both African American and women’s resilience to oppression both socially and politically. For this poem, the latter is obviously more pertinent. The reader must first notice the focal point of the poem being the hips; however, these “hips” symbolize much more. They symbolize all the strength that all women possess and could use to further their influence in the world. Although Clifton does allude to them being her “hips”, she is merely speaking on behalf of all females. 

This poem discusses Clifton’s hips, and how they are free from the certain views of society that she does not agree on as well as how she is proud of her “hips” and respects herself regardless. She uses word choice and personification to describe ways her hips stand for what she believes in. Clifton declares that she will not abide by the rules society has created for her physically, ethnically, or sexually. 

In the first few lines of her poem, Clifton rebels against the views of physical beauty made by society. She says, “these hips are big hips,” and by doing so says that she is not the image of perfection yet she is still proud of herself (1). She will not be ashamed of how she looks just because at the time society expected women to look a certain way, that way being thin She goes on to say that “they need space/to move around in” (2, 3). Here, space physical and emotional space. Meaning, she not only is larger than the ideal “American” woman, but she also has big emotions. Clifton says her hips won’t “fit into little/petty places” (4, 5). When she says this, she means will not conform to the small ideas of man. She ignores the narrow-mindedness of society and still stands tall and proud, no matter the size of her hips. Clifton takes a stand for her ethnicity in the next lines of her poem. When she says “these hips/are free hips/they don’t like to be held back,” 

Clifton then goes on to write, “these hips have never been enslaved, they go where they want to go they do what they want to do” (8-10). These lines symbolize an unrestrained freedom from guidance and censorship that enable women to lead their own lives. Finally to close out the poem, Clifton mentions the influence (or manipulation) that women can use over their male counterparts: “I have known them to put a spell on a man and spin him like a top” (13-15). Clifton realizes that the male may always be the head, but women can always manipulate him into getting or doing whatever they want. However light, Clifton’s strong use of imagery of words in this poem display to the reader (regardless of gender) the empowerment of woman with the use of something as simple as “hips.”