Shania Twain has revealed that she used to flatten her breasts to prevent sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a teenager.
The 57-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter has been open about her difficult childhood, growing up poor in Ontario with four siblings who live with her mother Sharon and stepfather Jerry Twain, who legally adopted the children.
As a way of dealing with her physical and sexual abuse, Shania explained in a candid interview that she would do everything possible to remain unnoticed in the house.
Opening: Shania Twain has revealed that she used to flatten her breasts to prevent sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a teenager (pictured last month)
speaking to sunday times, Shania said: ‘I hid and would flatten my breasts. She wore bras that were too small for me, and I wore two, I played down until there was nothing girlish about me. Make it easier to go unnoticed.
‘Because oh my god it was terrible, you didn’t want to be a girl in my house.
He went on to explain that this only continued as he got older and left home to experience it in everyday society.
Shania added: “But then you go into society and you’re a girl and you also get other normal nasty stuff, and that reinforces it.” So you think, “Oh, I guess it sucks to be a girl. Oh, it sucks to have boobs.” She embarrassed me for being a girl.
Hitmaker: Man! The I Feel Like a Woman hitmaker (pictured in music video) grew up poor in Ontario with four siblings who lived with her mother Sharon and stepfather Jerry Twain, who legally adopted the children.
In 2018, Shania said the abuse started when she was around 10 years old.
Admitting that she had been sexually abused, she said The Guardian: ‘Aja Aja. I will not go into details about it. I don’t mind saying it, because I think it’s important that people understand that you can survive these things.
She explained: ‘I feel like sexual abuse goes hand in hand with physical and psychological abuse when it’s someone you know. I learned to block it.
“Abusers need to manipulate you, either sooner or later, and what I told myself is, ‘Okay, there’s something wrong with this person and that person isn’t right.'”
Candid: As a way of dealing with her physical and sexual abuse, Shania explained in a candid interview that she would try everything possible to remain unnoticed in the house.
Shania did not know her biological father. Her stepfather Jerry and her mother Sharon died in a car accident in 1987.
It comes after Shania recently revealed that she once had a very awkward moment with talk show icon Oprah Winfrey over dinner, when the conversation turned to religion.
The 57-year-old country singer sat down for a podcast interview on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware to promote the latest single Waking Up Dreaming, and revealed how things quickly turned ‘sour’ with Oprah, 68.
While she explained that it was “one of my most memorable dinners” with Oprah, which took place at a restaurant, Shania recalled how she could sense a disagreement between them over their religious beliefs.
“It was great to have real conversations, but as soon as we started talking about religion, everything turned ugly,” Shania confessed.
“So, I said, ‘Let’s stop talking about religion,'” Twin recalled, adding that Oprah, who was raised in the Baptist Church and is a Christian, “is quite religious.”
The country singer called Oprah “a smart lady.”
She clarified her position on the issue, noting that she is “not religious in the sense that I am devoted to a religion.” I am much more of a spiritual person. I would say that I am a seeker.
Tragedy: Shania did not know her biological father. Her stepfather Jerry and her mother Sharon died in a car accident in 1987.