Country music sensation Shania Twain has been an icon for multiple decades. Even after all these years, she’s still excitedly making new music that she can’t wait to share with fans.
But as Twain approaches her 61st birthday, she’s looking back at more difficult chapters of her life. Even through it all, Shania Twain is incredibly proud of herself as she embraces aging and this new chapter of life. At the end of the day, she loves herself and her body.
Shania Twain Recalls the Moment She Knew She Needed to Make Changes
During a 2019 concert in Las Vegas, Shania Twain suffered a painful injury and required assistance to get off stage.
“I ripped two muscles in my thigh, and a lot of it was dehydration because I wasn’t really adapted to the Nevada climate,” the singer shared with PEOPLE. “I wasn’t drinking enough water, I was not eating enough protein, and I was really going through a raging period of menopause. I was just getting this bloat that I didn’t understand.”
The injury marked a turning point in her life, and she knew she needed to make some changes.
“I go from being this young, stunning figure, beautiful skin, everything’s in the right place [to a] time in my life where I couldn’t look in the mirror because all I could see were imperfections and not wanting to be that curvy thing,” the 60-year-old continued.
Societal pressures certainly didn’t help, but the country star knew she needed to prioritize her mental health.
“It is well-being first, always,” Shania Twain emphasized. “To becoming an older woman and now looking in the mirror, no problem. I’m like, I just have to get over this because every day that goes by, I’m getting older; the dips and bulges and the sags are just getting more and more prominent.”
The Country Star Loves Her Body & Shuts Down Naysayers
Shania Twain will celebrate her 61st birthday this August. However, she’s not ashamed of getting older. Instead, she’s joyfully embracing aging.
“I’m not trying to be 30. I’m not trying to be 25, and I won’t be ever again,” the country star told PEOPLE. “That’s my own fault for not looking in the mirror when I was younger, and shame on me. I encourage everybody: enjoy yourself the way you are right now and love it. Vanity is not worth torture.”
Menopause has brought on major changes in Twain’s life, but she’s learning to roll with the punches.
“I’m just learning every phase that I go through, and I adapt,” she shared with the outlet. “I can’t play tennis like a maniac the way I used to in my 30s because I’m going to break my body. My wrist started to go because I planted so many trees in my youth, and I’ve got this big carpal lump. The first thing to go for me in tennis was my backhand. So I’m like, ‘It’s time to take on the double-handed backhand.’ And it’s more wicked than my one-handed backhand!”
Like many other women in the public eye, Shania Twain has put up with cruel and unfair comments about her appearance as she ages. Nevertheless, she’s focused on the positives in life.
“My body is not shameable,” the singer proudly proclaimed. “That courage comes with time and maturity. Body shaming is nothing that’s going to affect me.”
