Shania Twain was warned women would “feel threatened” by her “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” video

It’s been 25 years since Shania Twain released her iconic video for “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” and to mark the milestone, she reveals her thoughts on the clip in the latest installment of Vevo’s Footnotes series.

The concept of the video was to reverse the gender roles of Robert Palmer‘s “Addicted to Love” video and have Shania fronting a band full of vapid-looking men.

“As part of the role reversal, it was important to have the guys be really sexy and androgynous,” reads Shania’s comment. “All of the little details of the fashion were considered and on purpose” — including the top hat with a veil that she wears.

“I remember the art department saying, ‘This is way too sexy! The women listeners are not going to like this! They’re going to feel threatened,'” Shania comments. “They told me I was going to alienate a huge part of my audience. I knew that women would totally get it.”

“I was standing up for myself through the song,” she adds. “I wasn’t being apologetic for all the things I had been criticized for in my life … this was my song that really said … ‘I’m feeling comfortable in my own skin! That’s awesome!'”

Twenty-five years later, Shania says, “It’s everyone’s song and they all take ownership of it in a different way. It’s a signature song for my entire career and I adore performing it and singing it today as much as I did back then.”