Body image is a popular contemporary topic in poetry. It considers how individuals judge their own bodies and the bodies of others.
Poems about body image are often contemplative and sometimes hard to read as writers, and the personas they channel, dig into their emotions and depict startling judgemental and painful thoughts about their worth in relation to how they look.
Other poets take a different approach, choosing to use a poem about their body image, or someone else’s, to uplift their individual understanding of what they’re worth. Many contemporary poems celebrate the differences to be found in human bodies and remind readers of their own worth.
‘Ellen West’ by Frank Bidart is a long poem capturing the life-defining moments of Ellen West, a woman who was the signature case for existential analysis in the 19th century. The poem is narrated majorly by West herself, with her doctor Ludwig Binswanger intermittently rendering a clinical analysis of her behaviour.
I love sweets,—
heaven
would be dying on a bed of vanilla ice cream . . .
But my true self
is thin, all profile
‘Next Day’ by Randall Jarrell is a confessional poem with a conversational tone that articulates the complex emotions of aging and change.
Moving from Cheer to Joy, from Joy to All,
I take a box
And add it to my wild rice, my Cornish game hens.
In ‘Teddy Bear,’ the titular stuffed bear frets about his chubby body. A chance encounter with a plump passerby helps Teddy realize that fat men can still be held in high esteem, giving him newfound confidence about his appearance.
A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
Which is not to be wondered at;
‘Still I Rise’ is an inspiring and emotional poem that’s based around Maya Angelou’s experiences as a Black woman in America. It encourages readers to love themselves fully and persevere in the face of every hardship.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
‘Vain and Careless’ exposes the superficiality and consequences of thoughtless actions, exploring the incompatibility of hearts in relationships.
Lady, lovely lady,
Careless and gay!
Once when a beggar called
She gave her child away.
‘Show It At the Beach’ by Shel Silverstein addresses taboos in contemporary society. Specifically, the poem considers when nudity is appropriate and when it isn’t (on the beach).
Oh, they won't let us show it at the beach.
No, they won't let us show it at the beach.
They think we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach.
And they won't let us show it at the beach.
‘Between the Breasts’ is a celebration of sensuality, desire, and the uninhibited pursuit of pleasure, using unconventional language and vivid imagery to evoke intense emotions and challenge traditional poetic norms.
between the breasts
of bestial
Frost’s ‘A Question’ is a powerfully emotional poem. In it, the poet paints a picture of suffering, pointing to the fact that life itself is filled with scars of the soul and body.
A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
‘Anorexic’ by Eavan Boland conveys the mindset of a woman determined to destroy her physical body through starvation and filled with hatred for her sinful past, as according to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve.
‘Farmhand’ by James K. Baxter describes the lack of confidence a farmhand has regarding his appearance and relationship prospects.
‘Got You’ by Jackie Kay is an interesting poem about sibling jealousy and the strength of sisterhood. The speaker is a discouraged child who believes her sister is superior to her in every way.
‘Never Trust a Mirror’ by Erin Hanson is a poem about beauty and self-worth. The poet describes the untrustworthy nature of a mirror and how one shouldn’t take what they see in it for granted.
‘Question’ is a poem written in the form of an interrogation. Throughout this piece, May Swenson asks how she could hide her soul after the body dies.
‘Quinceañera’ appears in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood (1991). This coming-of-age poem is about a speaker’s physical and mental changes.
‘The History of Red’ by Linda Hogan describes the life of the color “red” and how it has represented humankind’s will to live through time.
First
there was some other order of things
never spoken
but in dreams of darkest creation.
‘The Pornographer’ appears in Robert Hass’s Yale Series of Younger Poets Award-winning collection Field Guide (1973). This poem is all about an artist who finds it difficult to get rid of his thoughts.
‘The Same Note’ by Jackie Kay depicts Bessie Smith’s musical ability and how she could unite people from all walks of life.
‘The Youngest Daughter’ was published in Cathy Song’s first poetry collection Picture Bride (1983). This poem explores the relationship of an aging daughter and her mother.
I would like to watch you sleeping,
which may not happen.
I would like to watch you,
sleeping. I would like to sleep
‘when god lets my body be’ is a poem about the cycle of life and death. The poet E.E. Cummings describes how he wishes to be part of nature through death.
From each brave eye shall sprout a tree
fruit that dangles therefrom
‘Women and Roses’ by Robert Browning conveys a man’s perspective on women throughout time. They are represented by three apples on his metaphorical apple tree.
I dream of a red-rose tree.
And which of its roses three
Is the dearest rose to me?
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