Behind the Glitter: The Story That Birthed Shania Twain’s “What A Way To Wanna Be!”
There was a night in the late ’90s when Shania Twain, despite being one of the most adored stars in the world, found herself alone in a hotel room staring at the glow of a bathroom mirror. She had just come off stage, the crowd roaring her name like a tidal wave, but the silence that followed backstage felt deafening. The makeup remover burned her tired skin, her hair was stiff from hours of styling, and beneath the dazzling gowns and magazine covers, she whispered to herself: “Is this really what it takes to be loved?”
Fame had given her everything—charts, awards, recognition—but also handed her a new kind of prison. Expectations. Perfection. The endless cycle of looking flawless, acting flawless, being flawless. The pressure didn’t come only from the industry—it came from the culture surrounding women at the time, where every flaw was magnified, every imperfection criticized. Shania had seen young girls cry in front of her, saying they wished they could look like her, not realizing that even she felt trapped by the image the world demanded.
That night, she scribbled in her notebook about the absurdity of it all—the dieting, the constant gym hours, the obsession with youth, the fake smiles. The words poured out with equal parts anger and sadness, but also a fierce determination. “This isn’t who I am,” she thought. “And if I’m feeling this way, how many other women are silently drowning in the same pressure?”
Out of that raw honesty came “What A Way To Wanna Be!” — a song that isn’t just a catchy anthem, but a bold, biting reflection of the impossible standards women face. Every lyric carries the weight of Shania’s own struggles with beauty, body image, and identity. Instead of bowing down to the pressure, she turned it into empowerment, giving her fans not a confession, but a shield.
The song became a mirror for countless women who finally felt seen. It wasn’t just Shania singing—it was every woman whispering back at the world: “We are more than this. We are enough.”
