This tragic story is just one example of the many ways that sexual abuse can scar a person for life.
Shania Twain is a well-known country music singer and songwriter. But despite being one of the most successful country music artists, Twain’s personal life was far from perfect.
The singer has been through a lot in her life, including growing up in an abusive household. She would flatten her breasts to protect herself from her stepfather’s abuse. This allowed her to avoid further abuse and to keep herself safe.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Twain was upfront about what she did to hide her transforming body. Given that her stepfather had abused her physically and sexually, she saw the coming teenage years as a threat.
“I hid myself, and I would flatten my boobs. I would wear bras that were too small for me, and I’d wear two, play it down until there was nothing girl about me. Make it easier to go unnoticed,” she recalled. “Because, oh my gosh, it was terrible – you didn’t want to be a girl in my house.”
She continued: “But then you go into society, and you’re a girl, and you’re getting the normal other unpleasant stuff too, and that reinforces it. So then you think, ‘Oh, I guess it’s just s****y to be a girl. Oh, it’s so s****y to have boobs.’ I was ashamed of being a girl.”
When Twain was 22 years old, her parents died in a car accident, leaving her in charge of raising her three younger siblings. But nothing changed in her relationship with her body, and she continued to feel “exploited.”
She claimed that suddenly, someone asked, “What’s your problem? You know, you’re a woman, and you have this beautiful body?” But for her, what came so naturally to others, terrified her.
She continued by describing how she felt exploited and had no choice but to play the chic vocalist and display her femininity more “openly or freely” while identifying a way to prevent her from being raped or seized by someone who makes her feel so inferior.
Now, as more time passed, the more self-assured Twain became, and the more she discovered she loved her body and wanted to develop into and cherish it. Her recent songs, outfit selections, body language, and performances highlight her self-confidence.
“I am celebrating escaping this horrible state of not wanting to be who I am. And I’m so confident. Now that I discovered that it’s OK to be a girl,” she concluded. “The unapologetic woman is a very powerful person indeed.”
Reactions to Why Shania Twain Flattened Her Boobs: Her Story of Surviving Sexual Abuse From Stepfather
This is so sad 💔 no one should ever have to go through this.
This is so sad 💔 no one should ever have to go through this.
— Living the dream!🇺🇸 (@S58728748) December 4, 2022
Her step dad: “That don’t impress me much.”
Her step dad: “That don’t impress me much.”
— Juicy Smallette (@JuicySmallette) December 4, 2022
They died when she was 22 and she is now 57. Why tell the story now? Low on cash or what? I will never understand if you was so bothered why didn't you say something!
They died when she was 22 and she is now 57. Why tell the story now? Low on cash or what? I will never understand if you was so bothered why didn't you say something!
— Richard Sandstrom (@RichardSandst19) December 4, 2022