Pop powerhouse Christina Aguilera has changed musical styles about as often as she's changed
up her look — which, for the record, has been a common occurrence throughout the singer's
career.
The "Genie in a Bottle" songstress has never been one to remain all bottled up — constantly
expressing her evolving interests, musical tastes, and appearance.
No matter the look, you can be sure Aguilera has made a headline for it.
Here's an inside look at Aguilera's evolving styles, from the very beginning to the present
day.
In fact, you may not even recognize the superstar today.
'90s girl
Everyone gets their start somewhere.
For Christina Aguilera, that somewhere just happened to be national television on the
popular talent show Star Search.
She sang "A Sunday Kind of Love," belting the lyrics with the signature growl audiences
have come to know and love.
Dressed in a super sparkly black sweater, complete with straight bangs and a half ponytail,
Aguilera's look could best be described as quintessential '90s girl.
"You are so tiny to have such a big voice I'm so envious of you there are a lot of adults
in this building saying 'gosh if we could only sing like that.'"
Despite those pipes and undeniable stage presence, the future chart-topper lost to Christopher
Eason.
Teen rivals
Luckily for pop fans everywhere, Aguilera didn't let her Star Search loss get her down.
Instead, she went on to star alongside some of the biggest names of '90s music as a member
of The Mickey Mouse Club.
Four years after her Star Search appearance, young Aguilera had ditched her straight bangs
and half-pony for teased, wavy locks.
With a little more height and a lot more confidence, one episode saw Aguilera belting her rendition
of Aretha Franklin's "Think" as she strutted around on stage.
As Us Weekly noted, watchful eyes can spot a young Britney Spears, Aguilera's infamous
frenemy, acting as a backup dancer for the girl who would go on to be her most notable
competition.
Mulan makeover
Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club gave Aguilera a small taste of the spotlight, and
she was hooked — but she didn't seem to be getting the same kind of fame as her Disney
co-stars.
"I mean I'm hoping of course it does well but I know my time will come soon and I'll
be joining Britney soon, hehe"
According to the star, a "random phone call" from her manager changed her career.
He asked her to record herself singing and send the tape to Los Angeles overnight.
That tape scored Aguilera the coveted prize of getting to record the single version of
Mulan's "Reflection," one of Disney's most beloved original tunes.
According to Aguilera, she got the job because she was able to hit one particularly difficult
note.
"[singing] that was the note, the Hoo!"
The Reflection music video features the 18 year-old Christina all grown up and gorgeous
— her signature blonde locks chopped into a layered, face-framing bob.
Good girl no more
After Mulan, the teen was quick to score a record deal with RCA Records, and in June
1999, she released her debut single, "Genie in a Bottle."
The song's music video showed Aguilera with a brand new look.
The star's layered, platinum blonde bob had grown to her shoulders, and her teal eyeshadow
and glossy lip inspired teen girls everywhere.
While some critics considered the contents of the song a bit too risqué, the '90s jam
will forever be known as one of Aguilera's catchiest tunes.
Debut look
Despite her first album's success, Aguilera wasn't satisfied with the early direction
of her career.
In a 2002 Newsweek interview, Aguilera reminisced on her debut album , saying: "It was made
for that pop time when there was no real substance behind the music."
Substance or not, her self-titled first album won Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy at
the 2000 awards ceremony.
But she had aspirations greater than winning awards for songs she wasn't passionate about.
One of her first moves in that direction was lending her talents to "Lady Marmalade," the
hit song from Moulin Rouge!
Aguilera may prefer not to be reminded of the dreadlocks she sported from 2001 to 2002,
but the internet forgets nothing.
"I definitely tried to rebel in certain ways trying to different hairstyles and different
looks and things."
Beautiful
Christina Aguilera's emotional song "Beautiful," perhaps her most famous work, made its debut
in 2002 on Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped.
Rolling Stone praised Stripped for being "almost an album for grown-ups," noting its overall
message of being true to oneself.
In a 2012 interview, Aguilera thanked them, saying, "Even when I felt I couldn't stand,
[the LGBTQ community] helped me up and supported me."
The Stripped era saw a softer side of Aguilera.
Much like her album, she stripped her look closer to the basics, sporting long, blonde
and black locks.
Mom image
In 2005, three years after the release of Stripped, the superstar became engaged to
music executive Jordan Bratman.
Three years after their nuptials, the couple welcomed their first child together.
To commemorate the special day, Aguilera released an adorably sweet music video set to "Save
Me From Myself," a song from her 2006 album, Back to Basics.
Between clips of her and Bratman's wedding, Aguilera crooned the romantic ballad with
a lone guitar accompanist, while donning a very "back to basics" look — minimal makeup,
long layered locks, flared denim, and a modest, light-grey sweater.
To say that love looked good on Aguilera would be an understatement.
Post-divorce
Unfortunately, good things often come to an end — and such was the case for Aguilera
and Bratman's marriage.
Aguilera filed for divorce in October 2010.
She told People: "When you're unhappy in your marriage, your children are the ones who suffer.
… That's the last thing I wanted for my son."
But through dark times come light once again.
June 2010 saw the release of Bionic.
The electronic-inspired album was quite a change for the pop star, but Aguilera has
never been afraid to switch up her sound — or her look.
The Bionic era saw an old-school Hollywood glam version of Aguilera, often sporting bold,
red lipstick and slicked-back blonde tresses.
Backlash
It's a good thing Aguilera isn't afraid of change, because the years after her split
from Bratman saw a whole boatload of just that.
Aguilera began dating production assistant Matt Rutler, whom she met on the set of the
2010 movie Burlesque.
In the midst of her romantic drama, Aguilera also began a new career venture as a coach
on NBC's The Voice.
While it was an exciting time, the star was still recovering from her share of prior hardships.
Burlesque was a box office flop, she was criticized for her performance of "The Star Spangled
Banner" at the 2011 Super Bowl, and she and Rutler were arrested.
It was a stressful time, and Aguilera put on some extra pounds while coping.
She looked beautiful and felt confident, but the media latched onto her weight gain.
Aguilera's response?
"My boyfriend [loves] my body.
My son is healthy and happy, so that's all that matters to me."
Coming clean
In March 2018, Paper magazine published a feature on the starlet titled: "Christina
Aguilera is Back with Another Transformation."
But it wasn't really a transformation at all.
Instead, it was more of an unveiling of the real Aguilera.
Paper published jaw-dropping photos of the star — up close and personal in all her
bare-faced, freckled glory.
The songstress told Paper: "I'm at the place, even musically, where it's a liberating feeling
to be able to strip it all back and appreciate who you are and your raw beauty."
After years of changing styles, it's safe to say Aguilera's 2018 "raw beauty" is her
most low-maintenance look yet.
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