I can hardly imagine Shania Twain these days as anything other than extremely confident. She radiates this self assuredness that makes you question why you're so down on yourself. Unfortunately, there is a tragic time in her life where someone took advantage of her. It inspires one of her biggest hits to date.
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Recently, Shania speaks with The Times about her abusive childhood and how it informs her hit song "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" She reveals that her mother's second husband would sexually abuse her and would routinely abuse her mother. Consequently, Twain hardly ever felt like the fullest version of herself. "That song was me saying I have waited too long to feel good about being a woman," she says. "For many years I shied away from it or wished I wasn't a woman. I was a shy, insecure female — not person."
Shania Twain Grapples With Self-Identity as a Teen
Moreover, her brain says she doesn't care but her body suggest something else entirely. As a result, inner turmoil rises within her and she fights to hide that side of herself. Shania continues, ""My brain said, 'I don't really care what I am,' but my body got in the way — the female got in the way. I've got curves so I had to set boundaries and guards very young. I did everything not to bring attention to them."
Naturally, Shania fears the way men would lustfully throw themselves at her or worse, take advantage of her. Eventually, though, she embraces what she couldn't truly change. That's where "Man! I Feel Like a Woman comes from. "I guess I was a late bloomer in getting comfortable in my own skin, but after a while you just have to stop picking away at the things you can't change," Twain emphasizes.
Later in the interview, Twain emphasizes the importance of female representation in the industry and how that can help younger children looking for something close to a role model. She says, "When you are a child you identify with people and see possibilities, but there is a lack of representation for women in this industry. It's a lot more than just sexism, it's about representation — for young girls to go, 'I want to be her,' you need to make that feel obtainable."
