Los Angeles, Aug 25 (IANS): In a weird twist, actress-singer Shaina Twain has said that she didn't enjoy being a "female" during her teenage years, and was uncomfortable with her femininity.

According to Aceshowbiz, the 57-year old singer-actress' life was changed by a group of male friends, who helped liberate her and ultimately inspired her to write 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!', her 1999 hit single.

"When I was in my late teens, I was sharing an apartment with friends. They were all going to college, and I would stay home during the day and write songs. But Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we would all go to the gay bars together," Shania told The Messenger.

She continued: "All the guys in our group would wear make-up, and they would help me - I didn't know how to wear make-up. I dressed more like a boy. I didn't love being female. I didn't love being undressed by men with their eyes and stuff like that. It just made me uncomfortable, so I down-dressed my body, and I didn't enjoy my femininity."

"But the guys would dress me up, and they would put make-up on me, and we would share this experience together. And then I would go to clubs, and I felt safe there. I could shake my body around and feel good about being female, and it was liberating. I wasn't self-conscious about it," she added.

Shania explained that 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' was a reflection of the journey she's been through. She said: "When I wrote 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' I reflected back on how sad it was that it had taken me so long to embrace my curves, and reject the sexism and embrace, for the first time, a confidence in being female. That's why it was such a statement - not just 'I Feel Like a Woman', but 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' and I love it and I'm enjoying it and I'm wearing it well."