to behave in the way that you want and to not let other people influence you.
Despite being the daughter of two Hollywood stars, she's very much her own woman with her own acting style.
(redirected from be own man)
own man/person, to be one's
To be in charge of one’s own affairs and actions. This term is very old indeed and may be obsolescent. Chaucer, who often portrayed strong women, used it (Troilus and Criseyde, ca. 1374): “I am myn own woman wel at ese.” A modern equivalent is to do one’s own thing.