It has been said that true beauty lies within. Unfortunately, in today's superficial world that is hard to imagine that people still take that approach. I mean, how often do you open up a Cosmopolitan magazine and find an ugly model advertising a product? Never. However, in the poems "Phenomenal Women" by Maya Angelou and "In an Artist's Studio" by Christina Rossetti they are able to disregard this superficial view and celebrate the inner beauty that truly makes a woman shine.
Maya Angelou herself is a truly phenomenal woman. Throughout her poem she celebrates all the curves and imperfections of her body and emphasizes the presence she brings by exuding her confidence. Immediately she begins her poem by separating her self from the category of "pretty" and makes the point that she is "not built to suit a fashion model's size." (Angelous 1) She continues throughout the poem to describe each part of her body as a work of art that was graciously giving to her. She appreciates everything about herself. Throughout the poem she will take a couple of lines to describe her appearance and than follow that with the appealing reaction that the men have to her. This is evidence that beauty within can and will reveal your beauty. Similarly in "In an Artist's Studio" the artist recognizes his model as a work of art. As the poem begins she timidly hides herself behind a screen. The ironic thing about hiding behind a screen is that it is not an opaque object, you can clearly see through to the other side. But when she sees her reflection in the mirror this "gave back all her loveliness." (Rossetti 4) She reveals herself to the artist and immediately the artist recognizes all her beauty. Although his model appears naked before him, he describes her as "a queen in opal or in a ruby dress." (Rossetti 5) The artist consumes his days and night's depicting the beauty of this women, she even invades his dreams.