Shania Twain Reveals The Heartbreaking Inspiration Behind ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’

In a candid interview with The Times, Shania Twain, the 58-year-old country music star, opened up about the painful experiences that shaped her iconic 1997 hit ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’

Twain shared that her turbulent childhood, marked by abuse, had a profound impact on her music. She revealed that her mother’s second husband, Jerry, not only physically abused her mother but also s*xually assaulted her.

Discussing the origins of ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ Twain explained, “That song was my way of expressing that I had waited too long to feel good about being a woman. For many years, I shied away from it or wished I wasn’t a woman. I was a shy, insecure female — not a person.” This track, featured on her album ‘Come On Over,’ reflects her struggle and eventual acceptance of her femininity.

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Twain continued, “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.” She felt she missed out on the joys of being a woman, never once going to the beach in a bathing suit as a teenager. “I knew that boys were going to take advantage of me in one way or another,” she added.

However, over time, her perspective changed. “I got tired of pretending I’m not a female with curves, so I wrote ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ I was a late bloomer in getting comfortable in my skin, but after a while, you just have to stop picking away at the things you can’t change,” Twain explained.

In the interview, Twain also addressed the issue of representation for women in the music industry. She pointed out the importance of role models for young girls. “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 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,” she said.

Twain acknowledged that many young women might not want to start their careers performing in bars, as she did. “Some bars in Canada had a room for live music and another for strip shows — not a lot of girls are attracted to that,” she noted, highlighting the risks these venues pose for young women. “That scene is more intimidating for a girl because men are drunk and boundaries get blurry. How can you attract women to that? How do they feel safe and stay protected?”