Christina Aguilera Got Real About Being Body-Shamed In Her Twenties And Having To “Play A Virgin”

As with many female-identifying pop stars from her era, Christina often faced misogynistic scrutiny when it came to her body and sexuality, especially as she became older.

In a new interview with Glamour, Christina got real about the press’ obsession with her weight, as well as the boxes she felt she was forced into when it came to expressing her sexuality.

“When you’re a teenager, you have a very different body than when you’re in your 20s,” she said. “I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, ‘Oh, she’s getting thicker.’”

“Then I had industry people: ‘They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager.’”

Christina also said that she wasn’t a fan of how she was perceived sexually when it came to the teenage years of her career.

“I didn’t love the bubblegum thing, where you had to play a virgin but not act like one,” she explained.

“When I was performing ‘Genie’ and ‘What a Girl Wants’ and ‘Come on Over,’ I got bored easily. Creatively, it was one-dimensional.”

Coupled with the constant churn of being a pop star, Christina said that she eventually felt “burnt out” by the entire situation — but, now, she has a much healthier attitude when it comes to others’ opinions and how she feels about herself.

“I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a fuck about your opinion,” she said. “I’m not going to take it on. It must be your responsibility to take up your space.”

“Other people’s opinions of me are not my business.”