Shania Twain has given fans a glimpse behind-the-scenes of her iconic Man! I Feel Like a Woman! music video.
On the 25th anniversary of the feminist anthem, Twain spoke with Vevo Footnotes to dish out all of the drama – including why she was warned about the video before its release.
Watch the videos above.
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Man! I Feel Like a Woman! was a wild success upon its release in 1999, reaching No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.4 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Along with the song, the music video’s success has also endured. From 2016-2022, it saw an average lift of 31 per cent in daily global views each International Women’s Day (March 8).
However, there were concerns the styling of the clip – inspired by the video for Robert Palmer’s ’80s hit Addicted to Love – was “too sexy” and could alienate female viewers.
“I remember the art department saying, ‘This is way too sexy! The women listeners are not going to like this! They’re going to feel threatened’,” Twain said in the Vevo Footnoted video.
“They told me I was going to alienate a huge part of my audience. I knew that women would totally get it.”
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The musician also discussed how the song has broken through barriers and genre restraints, explaining her lyrics were based on “liberation, independence and the human spirit.”
“I was standing up for myself through the song,” she said in the video.
“I wasn’t being apologetic for all the things I had been criticised for in my life – ‘You can’t do that, you can’t wear that, that’s too tight, that’s too short.’ This was my song that really said you know what I love about being a woman! I’m feeling comfortable in my own skin! That’s awesome!”
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Twain went on to discuss rock-based music: “I wanted to go beyond country music, and this song was pushing my genre boundaries. Musically, it was not limited to one genre. It’s rock, it’s pop, it’s country.”
The video’s fashion choices were international, with Twain’s stylist famously drawing inspiration from Robert Palmer.
“We wanted to take that idea and turn it on its head,” Twain said.
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“We wanted to make something unexpected and the role reversal was the vision…
“[Fashion designer/stylist] Mark Bauer got to work on the wardrobe, with that idea in mind, and dressed me in that amazing high women’s coat, the top hat, with the veil added for a touch of femininity, in what was a ‘typically’ masculine outfit.
“As part of the role reversal, it was important to have the guys be really sexy and androgynous.
“All of the little details of the fashion were considered and on purpose. It’s a real credit to Mark and his talent.”
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Twain reveals that she received “a lot of flack for doing what we did at that time. We were taking country music to a place it hadn’t been before, and some people didn’t like that.”
The song quickly became empowering, winning a Grammy in 2000 for best female vocal performance.
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