Shania Twain on Her Fashion Sense: ‘I’m Enjoying My Femininity More Than Ever’

When Shania Twain burst onto the country music scene almost 30 years ago, she was instantly known for pushing the envelope, both in her music and her fashion sense. But it wasn’t until she got older that Twain was finally able to embrace her femininity, a freedom that she now feels more than ever before.

“I’m enjoying my femininity more than ever now, even as I get older,” the 54-year-old told Billboard. “In my shows, for example, I’m having fun with more transparent fabrics, showing more skin in that sense. When I was younger, it took me a while to just get more and more comfortable in my own skin.”

Perhaps surprisingly, it was while Twain was in the prime of her career that she battled the most insecurities, especially with some of the clothes she wore in her videos.

“I remember when I did the ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’ video, the designer wanted me to wear this really short skirt, which is what I wore; the song was calling for that,” Twain recounted. “But at the same time, I was like, ‘I never wear short skirts; I’m just going to be too shy to wear a short skirt and be comfortable giving a good performance.’ The alternative was the thigh-high boot –– that developed more out of an insecurity on my part, but then it became such a statement as part of the look.

“I think your own fashion has to be dictated by how you’re feeling: what you want to show, what you don’t want to show, how to get around in it,” she continued. “It also makes you very innovative and creative about it. I’m more comfortable now with my legs than I was then –– I wear more short skirts now than I ever did before. My confidence has evolved more with age.”

It’s only been in recent years that the Canadian has even become comfortable with her femininity, which was originally foreign to her because of her upbringing.

“I embraced my femininity late, because I was always such a tomboy as a kid,” Twain said. “So when I finally started making videos, I realized how fun it was to try on clothes that flattered my body instead of hid my body. But at the same time, I wanted to be sexy and still be able to look back at the footage and not be embarrassed by it, or felt like I had compromised for the sake of fashion, or for the sake of a director.

“It’s tricky, because it’s easy to take direction and forget about what your own limits are when you’re in the moment,” she added. “You have to be clear and very strong on what that means to you, where your limits are, and what sexy means to you — and stick to that.”

Twain’s latest Las Vegas residency continues in March. Find dates at ShaniaTwain.com.

Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Winter