 In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul : The Story Behind the Song , Aguilera revealed the occasion , theme and meaning of " Fighter " . She talked about her " very chaotic and abusive " home , where she did not feel " safe " . In school , Aguilera was picked on and alienated because of her musical passion . However , it made her become " smarter and stronger " . To release herself , Aguilera started to write songs at the age of 15 , both music and lyrics ; and it was the way how she found her voice . The writing process of " Fighter " began during her promotion for her debut album in 1999 , when she was " a part of the big craze pop phenomenon " . According to Aguilera , her debut album helped her a lot to develop the process . She wanted to make an " emotionally rich and positive empowering " song , especially for women , in order for them to speak for themselves be strong . About the idea of the track , she revealed , " I was coming up with titles and ideas and deciding what I wanted to write about . I had to sit down and make sense of my feelings and experiences . I learned a lot from the first record that helped me to develop . I took the good and the bad and considered some of the choices I made and became better because of it . 
