Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera
She has released two Spanish-language albums including Mi Reflejo (2000) and Aguilera (2022) which have been credited for helping expand Spanish language music within American and also won two Latin Grammy Awards.
She has used her platform to challenge societal norms and her songs "Dirrty" and "Beautiful" have sparked public discussions and helped shift the narrative for women in pop music and LGBTQ+ culture respectively.
[19] Writing for Vice, Wanna Thompson analyzed Aguilera's fame in the turn of the 21st century, stating that she "dominated mainstream pop-related discussions" and that her "perfectly packaged music and looks appealed to tweens and teens who wanted to be like the pretty, chart-topping pop stars plastered everywhere".
[20] The commercial success of her first projects as a bubblegum pop singer caused an effect that influenced record labels to invest in new artists who attracted the same youthful appeal, catapulting names like Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore.
[21][22] In 2004, Aguilera was listed as one of the most influential people in the music market according to The Independent,[23] and was ranked as the eighth greatest woman in the phonographic industry by VH1.
[38] Forbes writer Jeff Benjamin noted that Aguilera has honored her roots "since the start of her career with Spanish albums, covers of classic songs and collaborations across the industry".
[38] In 2012, Aguilera noted that "I am Ecuadorian but [that early in her career] people felt so safe passing me off as a skinny, blue-eyed white girl".
[56] Gerrick D. Kennedy writing for the Los Angeles Times opined that "for a generation who hit puberty during the great 2000 pop explosion, Aguilera was an essential voice with music that tackled [...] subject matters her contemporaries were shying away from".
[56] She opined that the album "was instantly venerated by women and gays, and completely terrifying to straight men" which in turn "copped a lot of flack at the time for its sexualised imagery".
[56] Journalists writing for Vice and The Guardian both analysed Stripped and found that Aguilera's use of sexual imagery has helped catalyze public discourse on the topic.
[59][60] Garland went on to add that Stripped is "best measured by its cultural impact on those it was always intended for – a mass audience of young people who had spent much of the late 90s and early 00s being patronised by an industry that served them dynamic but spiritually void bubblegum pop".
[62] Jennifer K. Armstrong, author of Sexy Feminism: A Girl's Guide to Love, Success, and Style (2013), similarly opined that Aguilera's music has "reject[ed] the double standards set forth by sexism and patriarchy".
[65] The Irish Times writer Shilpa Ganatra agreed saying that Aguilera was leading force of the third wave of feminism, going on to influence artists such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
[66][61] Her Campus writer Brooke Giles also cited Aguilera as the "OG feminist", noting that she set the "stage for women empowerment way before it became the popular trend in today's pop music".
[68] Mary Anne Donovan, author of Christina Aguilera: A Biography (2010), noted that she often "channeled her fear and sadness away from the abuse in her family to instead create the music that became her art and her livelihood".
[77] Chin Wai Wong from Hollins University also observed topics such as romance, introspection of vulnerability, gratitude for support, and sexual liberation in Aguilera's music, representing "multi-dimensional aspects of life [and] different social responsibilities a woman experiences".
[58] While critics noted the feminist message in her works, Aguilera was acknowledged for her "refusal to sanitize her own sexuality to meet either the norms of mainstream gender politics or mainline Feminism's resistance".
[79] Other themes addressed in her lyrics include self-respect, body image, and LGBT rights, in addition to "fighting for creative freedom and gender equality".
[87] The music video for her song "Dirrty", directed by David LaChapelle, received high media coverage for its explicit nature being the introduction to Aguilera's "hyper-sexualized" new image.
[94][95] Aguilera's music video for "Beautiful", directed by Jonas Åkerlund, also received critical analysis, particularly for its scene of a gay kiss which has gone on to be considered one of the most important moments for LGBT culture.
[90] In 2022, for the song's 20th anniversary, Aguilera released an updated version of the video with BBC writer Steven McIntosh noting that it highlighted "the impact of social media on young people's body image and mental health".
[99] ABC News writers Megan Stone and Angeline Jane Bernabe opined that the video explored messages for young girls and boys about the dangers of social media "with depictions of how girls are flooded with images of women with youthful faces and voluptuous bodies, while boys are encouraged to have the sculpted body of an action hero".
[250] Various artists who have covered Aguilera's music include Tori Kelly,[251] Ed Sheeran,[250] Christina Grimmie,[250] Dove Cameron,[252] Elvis Costello,[253] Ava Max,[254] Rag'n'Bone Man,[255] Kenny G,[256] Chaka Khan,[256] Sabrina Carpenter,[257] Ariana Grande,[258] and Sam Smith.
[259] American singer Camilla Cabello sampled Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" for her solo debut single "Crying in the Club".
[265] Sam Smith also cited the song "Beautiful" as a "true acceptance anthem", noting that it inspired him "with its important message to never stop celebrating who you are".
[259] Other artists who have cited Stripped and its songs as an influence for their own work include Rita Ora,[222] Troye Sivan,[241] and Zara Larsson.
