Getty Christina Aguilera Talks Father's Abuse & Weight Issues
Superstar Christina Aguilera, a former coach on “The Voice,” turned 40 in late 2020, and is turning a new leaf in both her personal and professional lives.
In an interview with Health, published on April 13th, 2021, the “Beautiful” singer opened up about past and current successes, failures, and insecurities after celebrating a milestone birthday. With more than three decades in the music industry, a career that began in 1989 when Aguilera, just a tween, performed on “Star Search,” the singer has grown and evolved as an artist and woman.
Aguilera told the outlet that she’s now more confident in her skin than ever before, adding, “…with age, you figure out that life is too short to waste time thinking about what other people think about you.”
In the article, she also touched on her struggles with depression and anxiety, body insecurities, childhood trauma, tabloid harassment, and what’s in store for her music-wise.
Aguilera Wasn’t Always Confident in her Skin
Aguilera is proud of her body, as she told Health, but that hasn’t always been the case, especially when she was a teen in Hollywood.
“Entering this business, I hated being super skinny…I have a hard time looking at the early pictures of myself because I remember feeling so insecure,” she told the mag. As she got older, however, Aguilera started developing curves. “Once I turned 21, I started filling out a little bit, and I was loving my new curves. I appreciated having a booty.”
But the tabloids didn’t necessarily feel the same way.
In an interview with Marie Claire back in 2012, Aguilera said her fluctuating weight has been criticized throughout her entire career. “I’ve been through my highs, I’ve been through my lows; I’ve been through the gamut of all things in this business,” she told the outlet. “Being too thin. Being bigger. I’ve been criticized for being on both sides of the scale.”
At 40, the singer is more confident in her body and told Health she’s not comparing herself to other body types anymore and is instead “appreciating” and “owning” her body for what it is.
Aguilera was Bullied by the Tabloids
Aguilera’s relationship with the media has been complicated over the years, to say the least.
She told Health that there were times in her music career, which skyrocketed following the release of her debut album in 1999 (per Billboard), that she’s felt personally “betrayed” by news outlets and the paparazzi.
“A lot of times, I’d read something and say, ‘Wait, I didn’t say it that way.’ I’d feel betrayed. I was still at an age where I was understanding myself and life,” she told the outlet of her earlier days in the music industry. It didn’t help matters when the media started becoming “big on pitting women against each other,” Aguilera added.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan back in 2018, Aguilera said she’d often be pitted against fellow pop star Britney Spears. “I remember being hurt by these commercials on MTV, pitting Britney as the good girl and me as the bad girl. It’s like, if I’m going to be demure and innocent, that’s okay. But if I’m going to just be myself, I’m trouble,” she added.
Aguilera, who is a mother of two (Max, 13, and six-year-old Summer), told Health that she still has a complicated relationship with the press. “I’m currently in Miami, and the other day, I was outside with my daughter. I was thinking I was under the radar. Then, I saw these pictures of us come out. I was really emotional about it because I’ve really tried to be more private,” she said, adding that the way the paparazzi have treated her and her family is a form of “harassment.”
How Aguilera Overcame Childhood Trauma
Aguilera has been open in the past about her tough childhood and abusive father.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan in 2018, the “Burlesque” actress confessed that her father “physically” and “verbally” abused her mother.
“My dad was very dominant with my mom,” she told the mag, adding that her father’s behavior taught her at a young age that she deserved more in a romantic relationship. “I never wanted a man to tell me what I could and couldn’t do, what I could and couldn’t spend. I always knew I had to be the queen of my castle,” she said.
And it seems like Aguilera has found someone that lets her be that queen.
According to People, Aguilera, who’s been married before, is engaged to Matthew Rutler, who she’s clearly smitten with if this Instagram post from February 2021 is anything to go by. In the photo, Aguilera is sitting at a rose-filled table snuggled up next to Rutler.
The singer also told Health that she suffers from anxiety and depression, and some of it stems from her childhood trauma. While mental health is a “constant battle,” she told the mag she turns to positive activities, like journaling and yoga, to help overcome it.
What the Singer is Working on Next
So excited & inspired right now!! Fighters – I can’t wait to share everything with you in time. The craft & commitment to creative is key 💖✨
Christina Aguilera has quite a resume. According to Health, the singer, actress, and ex-mentor on “The Voice” (she appeared in the TV singing competition between 2011 and 2016 per Billboard) is planning to release new music. Her last album, “Liberation,” came out in 2018, according to Rolling Stone.
So when can we expect new music from Aguilera?
Soon.
On March 3, 2021, the singer posted on Twitter two photos that showed her at a recording studio. A month later, she told Health that she plans to announce album news in the coming months. “I’m a perfectionist and want to give everything my best—especially because of the soul-searching I’ve done over the past year and the new perspective I have. I am reinspired and have reconnected with myself,” she said.
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Former Voice Judge Opens Up About ‘Bullying’ and ‘Harassment’