Man! I Feel Like Woman. A profound statement, and probably one of the most popular country songs ever. In October 2014, the Journal of Popular Culture wrote an article titled, "Shania Twain Shakes Up Country Music." In this article the author described how often country music has a degrading connotation towards women. Though it may not be outright in the songs, women are often portrayed as fragile and needing a man. Even female country singers portrayed themselves this way, until Shania Twain came along and came out to be a powerful women who often used men as props - as a gender role reversal. Though many country songs are meant to be patriotic, or have a "home grown", family value message behind them, Twain broke the mold by portraying sexuality in a majority of her videos. As the article states, "Twain’s first music video, “What Made You Say That” in many ways sets the tone for the image of Twain purveyed over the next decade.8 Twain cavorts on the beaches of Miami clad in a variety of outfits that all feature her curves and, in one instance, her navel. Yet she’s not alone; there’s a hunk, too, who appears with and without a shirt, always revealing his chiseled chest (Mandrell. James)." Her ground breaking videos didn't stop with the sexuality. In her, "Man! I feel Like a Woman" video Twain crosses the gender roles by dressing in a feminized version of a males suit. And it doesn't stop there. "That Don't Impress Me Much" continues to downplay mans role in a woman's life by saying their money and job doesn't matter. Though Twain seemed to blend these lines between male and female, sometimes even provoking the thought of homosexuality, she maintained her popular image within country and pop music.
Twain was able to break a gender barrier in country music. This opened the doors for today's female country singers to have a more powerful stance in music, and be the aggressor rather than a "passive female." Though the battle of woman being objectified in country songs is not completely over, there is a level of respect between the male and female artists and the gender roles have been somewhat muted.
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