Christina Aguilera has gone from adorable Mouseketeer to teen pop sensation to edgy pop star. If you look back at her amazing career there are times when she might not even be recognizable.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Pop powerhouse Christina Aguilera has changed musical styles as often as she's changed up
00:05her look, which, for the record, has been a common occurrence throughout the singer's
00:09career.
00:10The genie-in-a-bottle songstress has never been one to remain all bottled up, constantly
00:14expressing her evolving interests, musical tastes, and appearance.
00:18No matter the look, you can be sure Aguilera has made a headline for it.
00:21Here's an inside look at Aguilera's evolving styles from the very beginning to the present
00:25day.
00:27You may not even recognize the superstar today.
00:3090s girl
00:32Everyone gets their start somewhere.
00:34For Christina Aguilera, that somewhere just happened to be national television on the
00:37popular talent show Star Search.
00:40She sang A Sunday Kind of Love, belting the lyrics with the signature growl audiences
00:44have come to know and love.
00:46Dressed in a super snarky black sweater complete with straight bangs and a half-ponytail, Aguilera's
00:50look could best be described as quintessential 90s girl.
00:54You are tiny to have such a big voice.
00:57I'm so envious of you.
00:58There are a lot of grown-ups in this building who are saying, gosh, if we could only sing
01:01like that."
01:02Despite those pipes and undeniable stage presence, the future chart-topper lost to Christopher
01:07Eason.
01:09Teen rivals
01:11Luckily for pop fans everywhere, Aguilera didn't let her Star Search loss get her down.
01:16Instead, she went on to star alongside some of the biggest names of 90s music as a member
01:20of the Mickey Mouse Club.
01:22Four years after her Star Search appearance, young Aguilera had ditched her straight bangs
01:25and half-pony for teased, wavy locks.
01:28With a little more height and a lot more confidence, one episode saw Aguilera belting her rendition
01:32of Aretha Franklin's Think as she strutted around on the stage.
01:36As Us Weekly noted, watchful eyes can spot a young Britney Spears, Aguilera's infamous
01:41frenemy, acting as a backup dancer for the girl who would go on to be her most notable
01:45competition.
01:47Mulan makeover
01:49Star Search and the Mickey Mouse Club gave Aguilera a small taste of the spotlight, and
01:53she was hooked.
01:54But she didn't seem to be getting the same kind of fame as her Disney co-stars.
01:57I'm really, I mean, I'm hoping, of course, that everything goes well, but I know my time
02:02will come soon, and I'll be joining Britney soon."
02:05According to the star, a random phone call from her manager changed her career.
02:09He asked her to record herself singing and send a tape to Los Angeles overnight.
02:13The tape scored Aguilera the coveted prize of getting to record the single version of
02:17Mulan's Reflection, one of Disney's most beloved original tunes.
02:22According to Aguilera, she got the job because she was able to hit one particularly difficult
02:26note.
02:27"...inside.
02:28That was the note, the side."
02:33The Reflection music video features the 18-year-old Christina all grown up and gorgeous, her signature
02:38blonde locks chopped into a layered, face-framing bob.
02:43Good Girl No More
02:45After Mulan, the teen was quick to score a record deal with RCA Records, and in June
02:491999, she released her debut single, Genie in a Bottle.
02:53The song's music video showed Aguilera with a brand new look.
02:56The star's layered, platinum blonde bob had grown to her shoulders, and her teal eyeshadow
03:01and glossy lip inspired teen girls everywhere.
03:04While some critics considered the contents of the song a bit too risque, the 90s jam
03:07will forever be known as one of Aguilera's catchiest tunes.
03:12Debut look
03:13Despite her first album's success, Aguilera wasn't satisfied with the early direction
03:17of her career.
03:18In a 2002 Newsweek interview, Aguilera reminisced on her debut album, saying,
03:23"...it was made for that pop time when there was no real substance behind the music."
03:28Substance or not, her self-titled first album won Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy at
03:32the 2000 awards ceremony.
03:34But she had aspirations greater than winning awards for songs she wasn't passionate about.
03:38One of her first moves in that direction was lending her talents to Lady Marmalade, the
03:42hit song from Moulin Rouge!.
03:45Aguilera may prefer not to be reminded of the dreadlocks she sported from 2001 to 2002,
03:50but the internet forgets nothing.
03:51"...I definitely tried to rebel in certain ways and trying to do different hairstyles
03:57and different looks and things."
04:00Beautiful
04:01Christina Aguilera's emotional song, Beautiful, perhaps her most famous work, made its debut
04:05in 2002 on Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped.
04:09Rolling Stone praised Stripped for being almost an album for grown-ups, noting its overall
04:13message of being true to oneself.
04:16In a 2012 interview, Aguilera thanked them, saying,
04:19"...even when I felt I couldn't stand, the LGBTQ community helped me up and supported
04:24me."
04:25The Stripped era saw a softer side of Aguilera.
04:27Much like her album, she stripped her look closer to the basics, sporting long, blonde,
04:31and black locks.
04:34Mom image
04:35In 2005, three years after the release of Stripped, the superstar became engaged to
04:39music executive Jordan Bratman.
04:41Three years after their nuptials, the couple welcomed their first child together.
04:45To commemorate the special day, Aguilera released an adorably sweet music video set to Save
04:50Me From Myself, a song from her 2006 album, Back to Basics.
04:54Between clips of her and Bratman's wedding, Aguilera crooned the romantic ballad with
04:58a lone guitar accompanist while donning a very Back to Basics look.
05:03Minimal makeup, long-layered locks, flared denim, and a modest, light gray sweater.
05:08To say that love looked good on Aguilera would be an understatement.
05:13Post-divorce
05:14Unfortunately, good things often come to an end, and such was the case for Aguilera and
05:19Bratman's marriage.
05:21Aguilera filed for divorce in October 2010.
05:23She told People,
05:24"...when you're unhappy in your marriage, your children are the ones who suffer.
05:28That's the last thing I wanted for my son."
05:30But through dark times come light once again.
05:32June 2010 saw the release of Bionic.
05:35The electronic-inspired album was quite a change for the pop star, but Aguilera has
05:39never been afraid to switch up her sound — or her look.
05:43The Bionic era saw an old-school Hollywood glam version of Aguilera, often sporting bold
05:48red lipstick and slicked-back blonde tresses.
05:52Backlash
05:53It's a good thing Aguilera isn't afraid of change, because the years after her split
05:56from Bratman saw a whole boatload of just that.
06:00Aguilera began dating production assistant Matt Ruttler, whom she met on the set of the
06:032010 movie Burlesque.
06:05In the midst of her romantic drama, Aguilera also began a new career venture as a coach
06:10on NBC's The Voice.
06:11While it was an exciting time, the star was still recovering from her share of prior hardships.
06:16Burlesque was a box office flop.
06:18She was criticized for her performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2011 Super
06:22Bowl, and she and Ruttler were arrested.
06:24It was a stressful time, and Aguilera put on some extra pounds while coping.
06:28She looked beautiful and felt confident, but the media latched onto her weight gain.
06:32Aguilera's response?
06:33"'My boyfriend loves my body.
06:35My son is healthy and happy, so that's all that matters to me.'"
06:40Coming clean
06:41In March 2018, Paper magazine published a feature on the starlet titled,
06:45Christina Aguilera is back with another transformation.
06:49But it wasn't really a transformation at all.
06:51Instead, it was more of an unveiling of the real Aguilera.
06:55Aguilera published jaw-dropping photos of the star up close and personal in all her
06:59bare-faced, freckled glory.
07:01The songstress told Paper,
07:02"...I'm at the place, even musically, where it's a liberating feeling to be able to strip
07:07it all back and appreciate who you are and your raw beauty."
07:10After years of changing styles, it's safe to say Aguilera's 2018 raw beauty is her most
07:15low-maintenance look yet.