The Full Text of “homage to my hips”
The Full Text of “homage to my hips”
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“homage to my hips” Introduction
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The American poet Lucille Clifton published "homage to my hips" in 1980 as part of her fourth poetry collection, Two-Headed Woman. As the title suggests, the poem is a celebration of the speaker's body and femininity with a focus on her "big hips." These, the speaker says, demand "space" in society, refuse to be "held back," and have "never been enslaved." The poem is also a celebration specifically of Black womanhood, associating the speaker's self-confidence and demand for dignity with freedom and independence in the face of oppression.
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“homage to my hips” Summary
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The speaker declares that her hips are large and need plenty of space to move around in, since they won't fit into small, overlooked places. Her hips, she says, are free, and they dislike anything that might interfere with this freedom or keep them confined. They have always been completely free, and they go wherever they want and do whatever they want. They are, the speaker says, deeply powerful and even magical. In fact, she knows that her hips are capable of putting a man into a trance and spinning him around as though he were a top.
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“homage to my hips” Themes
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Femininity, Empowerment, and Freedom
“homage to my hips” is an empowering celebration of womanhood. The speaker defies traditional (and implicitly white) beauty standards that demand women be thin and "fit into little / petty places." Instead, the speaker declares that her hips are “big” and “need space to move around,” and that they won't be hemmed in or "held back" by anyone else's expectations of how a woman should look or behave. Nobody, the speaker implies, will make her feel bad about not conforming to certain ideals of feminine beauty. Her celebration of her body therefore becomes its own form of rebellion, reflecting her independence and resiliency in the face of oppression.
The speaker is straightforward in her self-praise, uplifting her hips as both “mighty” and “magic.” Her large hips are a sign of strength, and the speaker's pride in them reflects her refusal to be inhibited or controlled by other people's opinions of her body. The speaker's hips—and her confidence—are in fact part of what makes her so beautiful and intoxicating, capable of completely disorienting men (whom her hips can hypnotize and “spin” around “like a top”).
Clifton often focused on Black womanhood in her work, and the speaker's self-confidence in this poem can also be read as a more specific rejection of racist ideals that privileged thin, white female bodies. The speaker's remark that her hips have “never been enslaved” is further an affirmation of her own autonomy, freedom, and dignity in the face of racism and oppression. That her hips (and by extension her entire body) “go where they want” and “do what they want” reflects her essential freedom as a human being, and the idea that nothing society says or does can make her feel differently. In sum, the speaker's pride in her hips reflects her appreciation of her own body and her defiance of those who would seek to make her feel anything less than womanly.
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-15
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “homage to my hips”
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Lines 1-5
these hips are ...
... petty places.The speaker starts with a clear, straightforward declaration about her body: "these hips are big hips." There's a clear confidence to this simple, declarative statement, which suggests a proud tone of voice and commands the reader's respect.
Rather than apologizing for the space her body takes up, the speaker goes on to declare that her hips "need space to / move around in," personifying her hips by giving them the agency to do as they please. In turn, the speaker suggests that the surrounding world must accommodate her, and this implies that the speaker sees herself as powerful. In other words, she isn't afraid to take up space in the world—space she knows she deserves.
The speaker goes on to say that her hips "don't fit into little / petty places." The word "petty" is often used to describe things of lesser importance, and its usage here suggests that the speaker's hips symbolize her unwillingness to be shunted to the side or deemed unimportant by society. By focusing on her hips, the speaker achieves a sense of empowerment.
This empowerment is tied to femininity, sexuality, and fertility. This is because of a simple reproductive fact: women tend to have proportionally wider hips than men, which makes it easier to bear children. And though there are many ways to embody femininity or identify as a woman, this poem celebrates wide hips as a symbol of womanhood and a source of strength.
These important thematic and symbolic ideas become clear in the very first line, as the speaker uses diacope to repeat the word "hips" at the beginning and end of the line: "these hips are big hips." This creates a musical rhythm, bolstered by the assonant /i/ sounds in "hips" and "big." In fact, assonance runs throughout these opening lines, as the /ay/ sound appears alongside the /ee/, /oo/, and short /i/ sounds:
these hips are big hips
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places.The speaker uses consonance here as well, lending these lines a controlled, musical, and pleasant feel. Consider, for example, the /t/ sound in lines 4 and 5: "they don't fit into little / petty places." This sound breaks up the line, giving it a subtly percussive rhythm that also appears in the alliterative repetition of the plosive /p/ sound in "petty places." The language sounds melodic and satisfying, giving the speaker's tone an assertive quality that is also celebratory and uplifting.
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Lines 5-7
these hips ...
... be held back. -
Lines 8-10
these hips have ...
... want to do. -
Lines 11-15
these hips are ...
... like a top!
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“homage to my hips” Symbols
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The Speaker's Hips
The speaker's hips are, of course, a literal part of her body, but they also symbolize womanhood—and its power—more generally.
Hips generally represent femininity and sexuality in literature, given that they're associated with fertility and childbearing. In this poem, however, the speaker's focus on hips has less to do with fertility and more to do with the ways in which embracing one's own femininity can lead to a sense of empowerment and freedom.
The speaker is adamant that her hips need ample space to "move around in," suggesting that they cannot and will not be "held back" by anything. In keeping with this strong sense of independence, the speaker notes that her hips have "never been enslaved," implying that even the most aggressive forms of racial oppression are no match for the power she derives from her own body. She also says that her hips can put a spell on a man and "spin him like a top," suggesting that she can use her sexuality to overwhelm and disorient men. As a result, it becomes clear that her hips don't just represent femininity, but also the strength and power associated with womanhood itself.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 1-15
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“homage to my hips” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Repetition
Repetition is an important part of "homage to my hips." It adds a sense of rhythm and musicality to the poem, and also repeatedly draws readers' attention to the star of the show: the speaker's hips.
The speaker uses diacope in the first line, saying, "these hips are big hips." This spotlights the obvious fact that the poem is, indeed, an "homage" (a kind of ode or tribute) to the speaker's hips, but it also establishes a pattern that will appear throughout the following lines.
The speaker brings this sentence structure back in lines 5 and 6, saying, "these hips / are free hips." This line repeats the first's use of diacope while also serving as an example of anaphora, since the speaker once more begins a phrase with the words "these hips."
This happens yet again in line 8, with "these hips have never been enslaved," as well as in lines 11 and 12:
these hips are mighty hips
these hips are magic hipsThe combination of anaphora and diacope creates parallelism that, in turn, makes the poem sound rhythmic and insistent.
The speaker uses more anaphora in beginning subsequent lines with the word "they," going on to clarify what, exactly, her hips do. Take, for example, the way lines 5 through 9 alternate between "these hips" and "they":
[...] 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 goThis alternating pattern gives the poem a feeling of consistency and predictability. It also adds a certain rhythm to the speaker's words, making the speaker's language musical and celebratory. Finally, repetition helps the speaker's confidence and pride shine through.
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 1: “these hips are big hips”
- Line 2: “they”
- Line 4: “they”
- Lines 5-6: “these hips / are free hips.”
- Line 7: “they”
- Line 8: “these hips”
- Lines 9-10: “they go where they want to go / they do what they want to do.”
- Lines 11-12: “these hips are mighty hips. / these hips are magic hips.”
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Personification
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Assonance
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Enjambment
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Consonance
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Alliteration
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Simile
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"homage to my hips" Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Spell
- Top
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(Location in poem: Line 14: “spell”)
A magical enchantment.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “homage to my hips”
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Form
"homage to my hips" consists of a single 15-line stanza that doesn't follow any specific poetic structure. Instead of adhering to a strict form, the poem simply unfolds in an easy, fluid manner that matches the speaker's playful, celebratory tone. This free-flowing, undefined format is appropriate, since it aligns with the fact that the speaker's hips refuse to "fit into little / petty places." In the same way that her hips resist confinement, the poem itself resists formal structure.
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Meter
The poem is written in free verse, meaning that it doesn't adhere to a set meter. Instead, the length and rhythm of the lines varies throughout the poem, especially since the speaker often subtly displaces certain beats using enjambment. Consider, for example, the last two lines:
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top!By including the word "and" at the end of line 14 instead of at the beginning of line 15, the speaker destabilizes the flow of this section, making it sound disjointed and syncopated (a musical term that refers to the displacement of rhythmic beats). This loose approach aligns with the poem's interest in freedom, since each line sounds free-flowing and unconfined.
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Rhyme Scheme
"homage to my hips" doesn't follow a rhyme scheme. There are no end rhymes in the entire poem, nor are there many significant slant or internal rhymes.
Having said that, the phrase "they don't fit into little" does include an internal slant rhyme between "fit" and "little." The last line also features an internal slant rhyme, this time between the words "spin" and "him": "spin him like a top!" Because there are so few rhymes in the poem, these moments stand out as particularly musical, thereby drawing extra attention to the speaker's language.
On the whole, though, the speaker ends up creating musicality through the use of repetition and enjambment instead of using rhymes. By playing with the rhythm and pacing of each line, the speaker makes up for the lack of a rhyme scheme, which would most likely feel too predictable and constraining for a poem that champions the speaker's unwillingness to compromise her freedom.
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“homage to my hips” Speaker
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Although there's nothing in the poem that explicitly clarifies the speaker's gender, "homage to my hips" is generally viewed as a celebration of womanhood and female empowerment. This is largely because hips often symbolize femininity, female sexuality, and fertility in literature. As such, the fact that the speaker is paying "homage" to her hips makes it relatively safe to assume that she's a woman (though of course people of any gender can appreciate their hips).
Beyond this, the speaker also mentions that her hips have "never been enslaved," a statement suggesting that she's Black. Because Lucille Clifton was a Black woman who often wrote about both race and gender, many readers believe that she herself is the speaker of "homage to my hips." Whether or not this is the case, what's clear is that the poem's speaker is, in all likelihood, a Black woman who views her hips as a feature that ought to be appreciated as a symbol of power and independence.
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“homage to my hips” Setting
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The speaker never specifies exactly when or where the poem takes place. This allows its message to feel accessible to women anywhere, at any time.
That said, the brief reference to the institution of slavery suggests that it's most likely set in the United States at some point after 1865, when slavery was abolished. It seems reasonable to assume that the poem takes place in 1980 (the year it was published), since the poem's framing of female sexuality as a source of empowerment aligns with popular thinking in feminism at that time.
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Literary and Historical Context of “homage to my hips”
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Literary Context
"homage to my hips" was published in Lucille Clifton's 1980 collection titled Two-Headed Woman. The poem can be read as a companion piece to Clifton's earlier poem "Homage to My Hair," which was published in 1975. Both poems celebrate the Black female body as a symbol of power, especially in relationships with men and in the face of racism. In many ways, "homage to my hips" also builds upon the ideas expressed in poems like "Still I Rise" and "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou, in which the speaker celebrates the power and beauty of Black womanhood.
"homage to my hips" engages with a rich history of poetry that uplifts and spotlights the Black experience in America. In this sense, the poem comes out of a tradition rooted in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, a movement that championed the expression and celebration of Black culture in the arts.
In particular, the Harlem Renaissance saw the rise of certain forms of poetry that modeled themselves on the syncopated rhythms found in jazz. Poets like Langston Hughes popularized this poetic style, influencing later writers like Gwendolyn Brooks, whose poem "We Real Cool" (published in 1960) uses enjambment in ways that are similar to the use of enjambment in "homage to my hips." Clifton's poem therefore extends not only the tradition of uplifting the Black experience, but also the stylistic trappings that emerged from the Harlem Renaissance and continued throughout the 20th century and—thanks to poets like Clifton—beyond.
Historical Context
"homage to my hips" was published during what's known as second-wave feminism, which began in the 1960s and lasted roughly until the 1990s. This feminist movement went beyond the scope of first-wave feminism, which was specifically centered around political equality and suffrage (the right to vote). Second-wave feminism, on the other hand, pushed society toward a broader embrace of gender equality by focusing on sexuality, reproductive rights, the workforce, family dynamics, and other areas of life that were often impacted by sexism.
This is a relevant historical backdrop for the poem: "homage to my hips" features a speaker who derives a sense of power and independence from her hips, which ultimately symbolize femininity and sexuality. After all, the speaker explicitly states that her hips are capable of spinning men "like a top," suggesting that she can use the sexual appeal of her hips as a source of power. This aligns with the central tenets of Second-Wave Feminism and the emerging cultural acceptance of female sexuality as something to be celebrated.
The poem was published 16 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which officially declared racial segregation illegal. Until this point, many racist Jim Crow policies were still largely in effect in the United States (especially in the South). By the 1980s (when the poem was published), such overtly racist policies were less common, but this certainly doesn't mean racism had faded away. This is why it's significant that the speaker says her hips have "never been enslaved," a clarification that underhandedly acknowledges that it wasn't so long ago that deeply racist practices were part of American law.
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More “homage to my hips” Resources
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External Resources
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Lucille Clifton Reads the Poem — Watch Lucille Clifton give a reading of "homage to my hips" and talk about her thoughts on body image, societal expectations, and what inspired her to write the poem.
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The Poet's Life — For more information about Lucille Clifton, check out this overview of her life and work.
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A Lucille Clifton "Starter Kit" — Check out this essay by the poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, who assembles a "starter kit" for first-time Lucille Clifton readers. He also writes movingly about the impression her poetry made on him when he was in prison as a young man.
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Spinning Tops — To better understand or visualize a spinning top, take a look at this brief Wikipedia entry about the toy.
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Poetry Foundation Interview — Read about Lucille Clifton's writing process in this interview published by the Poetry Foundation.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Lucille Clifton
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