Shania Twain Took ‘Leap Of Faith’ To Create Nude Album Cover After Being ‘Fed Up With Judging’ Herself

Jun 14, 2023

Self-love and acceptance come in different ways for many people, but the goal is to reach a place of affection for oneself such that there isn't room for negativity. This was what music legend Shania Twain gunned for when she created the album cover for her sixth studio album, "Queen of Me."

The singer opened up on the need for self-awareness and love and how she chose to exhibit it. Twain joined Hoda Kotb on her "Making Spaces With Hoda Kotb" podcast, where she laid it bare about body positivity. The "You're Still The One" crooner took some bold steps in the later years of her career that were not obtainable when she was a much younger woman. However, she owed her courage to being tired of always being self-conscious.

With a career that has spanned four decades, Twain has come a long way in the world of being a celebrity. She carved a sustainable space for herself in the music industry with hit songs like "Man I Feel Like a Woman," "Forever and Always" and "That Don't Impress Me Much." The country singer earned several awards, including five Grammys, but away from the spotlight, she struggled with body image issues.

Twain, born Eileen Regina Edwards, experienced a traumatic childhood that left her with years-long emotional scars. This, in turn, greatly affected her mental health. In her younger years, Twain dealt with child abuse by her stepfather. She revealed to The Sunday Times in December 2023 that he made her so self-conscious that she would often attempt to hide her body. 

The long-term effect of being self-conscious led the music star to lose confidence in herself. She revealed how she was not accepting of puberty when the changes came. Twain recalled strapping her breasts down and putting on tight spandex and large sweatshirts. She divulged:

"I was rejecting what I was growing into, which was very natural. How shameful is that? And not shameful of me, but shameful of that pressure. It was terrible."

Twain told TalkShopLive in November 2022 that she didn't grow up the confident type, never being the girl who could wear a bikini at the beach. However, all that began to change after she realized her body image issues would lead her to "hit the wall." She recalled how she started fighting back when she made her very first music video.

Twain's confidence at the time helped her shoot a music video braless. She revealed that although her breasts were a lot perkier then, the real confidence came when she decided to pose nude at an older age. The award-winner showed she had embraced her older self when she went topless for her "Waking Up Dreaming" music video. She revealed to People in December 2022 that her new-found self-love inspired her to go topless.

She stated that she was a woman in her 50s who did not need to "hide behind clothes." She added that she felt so unashamed and liberated. In her Interview with The Mirror, the singer shared her empowering moments. The star recalled wanting to go under the knife for breast reduction and was glad she did not go through with it. 

In a brief interview with Fox News at the 2023 CMT Awards, Twain spoke about aging. She noted the changes in one's body and how they could affect confidence. However, for the singer, acceptance was vital in such a period. She stressed the conscious need to be comfortable in one's skin and fully embrace the changes, even as the skin got saggier. 

This was what she had in mind when she posed nude for her "Queen of Me" album cover. The songstress told Kotb that it took a "real leap of faith" and she had to "forget the sag." Twain stated: 

"I'm only going to get more saggy. It's also one of those things like, I better enjoy this moment right now because I know I don't look like I did when I was 20."

She noted that she got "fed up with judging" herself, and this was the push she needed to go on with the shoot. Twain spoke to Today in January 2023, further opening up on her ideology of self-acceptance. She revealed that her bold move was about empowerment and a way to make peace with her past self.

The Guinness World Records holder noted that nude photography meant dealing with childhood abuse and the side effect of wanting to escape her own skin. Twain recognized that her skin was the only one she had, and if the self-scrutiny continued, she might end up hating herself. With her renewed self-confidence, the country star stated that she enjoyed searching and finding herself, knowing she was responsible. 

Isn't it empowering that Shania Twain has come to terms with the changes in her body and faced her fears? Are you a Shania Twain fan? What do you think of her approach to aging? Let us know, and be sure to share this with others.