I spent many days of my childhood shimmying around my living room to Shania Twain’s album, Come On Over, which, of course, includes two of the best songs ever to grace humankind: “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” Twain helped me become an empowered seven-year-old who enjoyed scoffing at anyone who owned a car.
On Wednesday, Us Weekly published a sprawling interview with Twain, who’ll turn 60 later this year, covering everything from her milestone birthday to how much water she drinks to how she eventually learned to accept herself to the upsetting backstory that ultimately led to the creation of one of our species’ greatest songs.
“I was always insecure about my body,” she told the outlet. “As a female, throughout my youth [I was] touched inappropriately so many times [and] I was in abusive situations where you hate being a woman. I hated being a girl.”
She continued: “My mother goes, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I said, ‘A bodybuilder.’ I wanted to be a big, strong man that nobody was going to f— around with. No one was going to touch my arm or my ass or anything unless I was OK with it. I was hiding all through my teens. I hated having boobs, I hated having hips.”
Twain said “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” was ultimately a song about finally accepting her body: “Once I got behind the camera and started looking at clothes and fashion, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m actually a woman after all, and I think I might like it.’ When I wrote ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman!,’ it was an absolute celebration [of that]. And I felt empowered behind the camera. I was like, ‘They can’t grab me. I’m safe.'”
I’m not crying, you’re crying. My inner child is definitely crying just a little.
- Gwyneth Paltrow drank every night during the LA wildfires and said it made her menopause symptoms so much worse. [Page Six]
- Jameela Jamil says she used to be an “internet cunt.” [Entertainment Weekly]
- Jennifer Coolidge was “out of control” partying in NYC in her 20s. [Just Jared]
- Tyga and Madelaine Petsch are dating??? [TMZ]
- Jack Antonoff was also shocked that Mikey Madison won the Oscar over Demi Moore. [Page Six]
- Amanda Seyfried quit teasing us! [AV Club]
- Chappell Roan on if she’ll make a full country album: “I am just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for yall.” [Pop Base]
- Jesse Eisenberg is now a Polish citizen. [Variety]
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
