- Share This Post
- 0
- submit
- 13
-
Sparkle (0)
Unsurprisingly, I am mesmerized by the new Christina Aguilera video “Not Myself Tonight.”
No, that's a misstatement. I am mesmerized by the response to Christina Aguilera's video “Not Myself Tonight.” Look beyond the allegations that she's hijacked elements of Lady Gaga and late '80s/early '90s Madonna and zero in on the reaction to the brazen sexuality presented in the video.
A bejeweled ball gag, canes and crops, that chic Atsuko Kudo latex number, the Betony Vernon petting double ring (a charming piece that holds your fingers in the focus position common in meditation, and most convenient for a proper handjob), a bowl of liquid latex, exquisite collars, those glorious ballet stilettos -– these are just a few of the items showcased in the orgiastic lead single of her album Bionic.
And its got the nation's panties up in a bunch.
Sexuality, despite the assertion of many to the contrary, is not something with which our society is entirely comfortable. We're still waging wars about whether we can teach our children about sex in schools, allowing an artist's sexual preference to influence our decisions about the scope of his talent, and just last month a Kotex commercial that spoke a little too frankly about vaginas was banned from two major networks.
When I interviewed 30 Seconds to Mars' Jared Leto, I joked that their album This Is War, seemed to explore very sensual themes between the lines of their call to arms.
“I think rock and roll has gotten really asexual,” he told me, growing serious. “That’s obviously a big part of all of our lives, and I thought it important to address some of that.”
This Is War toed the line. Similarly, Lady Gaga has walked to the edge, but despite some of her more provocative lyrics and ensembles, she manages to put a space between herself and sex via absurdism, irony and kitsch. Say what you like about Aguilera making a desperate attempt to become relevant by clawing at Gaga motifs: the truth is that a closer look reveals that the two performers are tracing very different trajectories in their work, whether or not they're wearing the same dress.
FROM BUBBLEGUM POP TO DIRRTY GIRL TO HOLLYWOOD SIREN
Aguilera is no stranger to the backlash that comes when sexual expression suddenly finds its way into your work. Though a commercial success from the moment RCA Records picked her up, Aguilera was displeased with the lack of input she had on her music and image. After parting from her management and taking creative control in 2002, Aguilera completed her second studio album Stripped, which did more that raise a few eyebrows.
The sexually provocative album, accompanied by the singer's numerous appearances on the pages of magazines in various stages of undress, took a toll on Aguilera's popularity in the United States. The album ended up going four times platinum nevertheless, but the distaste remained, becoming apparent once again when Aguilera finally released Back to Basics four years later, a well-received double CD with accompanying videos and publicity that offered up the singer in '20s Hollywood glam.
Critics called it “maturing,” and comments such as the following that appeared in AllMusic began to surface in music publications around the country:
Back to Basics also makes clear that Stripped was a necessary artistic move for Christina: she needed to get that out of her system in order to create her own style, one that is self-consciously stylized, stylish, and sexy.
She needed to get unabashed sexual exploration out of her system so she could adopt a more conservative image and thus be sexy. That's an interesting statement.
I don't write about music or trends –- so why am I telling you all this?
Because it matters.
BACK TO BASICS, ON TO MOTHERHOOD AND BEYOND TO BIONIC
Aguilera married music marketing exec Jordan Bratman in 2005, just a year before the release of Back to Basics. She continued touring and released a hits album and a DVD before giving birth to her son Max in 2008. Then the focus shifted to motherhood. She stayed under the radar for about two years before she began to work on her newest album Bionic.
Naturally, much speculation surrounded the release of the album. Aguilera was even pulled into the unfolding mystery of iamamiwhoami (a viral campaign promoting an artist who to date remains anonymous), a series of clips so utterly bizarre, nothing else could have better illustrated
