Shania Twain went to deep lengths to conceal her body and avoid being a "girl" to escape her stepfather's abuse while growing up.
In a revealing chat with The Sunday Times, Shania detailed what it was like for her and her four siblings with Jerry Twain in their home.
"I hid myself and I would flatten my boobs," she said. "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. Because, oh my gosh, it was terrible — you didn't want to be a girl in my house… I was ashamed of being a girl."
One time, things got violent between the Grammy winner and Jerry, and she used a chair during a fight.
"I think a lot of that was anger, not courage. And it took a long time to manage that anger. You don't want to be somebody that attacks me on the street," she said, "because I will f****** rip your head off if I get the chance."
After Jerry died in a car accident when Shania was 22, she felt relief. Still, the scars from her childhood were there, as the "Up" singer's relationship with her body took years to improve.
"I had to play the glamorous singer, had to wear my femininity more openly or more freely. And work out how I'm not gonna get groped, or raped by someone's eyes, you know, and feel so degraded," she explained.
Eventually Shania was able to feel empowered, and she found her voice.
"By the time I had my record contracts I was the kind of woman that … when I walked in the room, it's like, don't even get any closer," she said. "It was clear in my body language. And I think maybe what young girls can learn too is to exude that confidence."
All these years later at the age of 57, Shania loves her body.
"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 said. "The unapologetic woman is a very powerful person indeed."