Chapter 1: Aguilera's Music Video Anthology Christina Aguilera's career has no doubt informed a lot on how we view women in pop culture. From her early bubblegum pop videos, Genie in a Bottle, to Dirrty to her retro glam in Back to Basics. Aguilera has continuously pushed the envelope on what is acceptable for a woman. Can a woman be sexual and still empowered? Or does a woman lose all her sway once she puts on assless chaps and pierces her nipple? The following lesson is going to be on how Christina Aguilera's career was not a publicity stunt or for shock value, but portrays the true emergence of an artiste. The prerequisite videos are below. Watch them, learn from them, don't forget them, because they will be referenced in later chapters and there will be a pop quiz. Genie in a Bottle (Christina Aguilera June 1999) The story of a boy who wants to be "with" a girl, she says he needs to "rub" her the "right way." Loosely translating into, "If you want to have sex with me, you need to get me off first." Teaching young girls the valuable lesson to hold out until he brings you to orgasm. Foreplay is good! What a Girl Wants (Christina Aguilera Dec 1999) Second only to "what a woman wants," "what a girl wants" is a question for the ages. Aguilera starts off the song by sitting her boyfriend down and thanking him for being patient and kind, pressumably because she was a virgin and not ready to have sex. It answers the proposed question, "I wanted someone kind and caring and patient and who loves me and now that you've proven that I'm ready to have sex." While it's all well and good to teach girls to have sex with men that care about them, it can translate to teaching them to use sex as a reward for exhibition of behaviors that may or may not be truthful. Ven Conmigo (Solemente Tu) (Mi Reflejo Sept 2000) Christina tries to connect with her Latin heritage with a Spanish album. Aguilera is getting serious with her boyfriend in this next song. She tells him that she wants him to be with her and she wants only him. She's asking him for a commitment. Lady Marmalade (Moulin Rouge Soundtrack Jan 2001) The 3 lesser whores sing about the main whore, Lady Marmalade and how hot shit she is, of course Marmalade is played by Aguilera. The world's first taste that Aguilera was a sexual being, yes she was just playing a role, but where did that stop and she begin? Dirrty (Stripped Sept 2002) Purely for shock value, the David LaChapelle directed Dirrty was meant to be a slap in the face to Aguilera's audience, "I'm not a virgin, I'm not pure, I'm a real person." Beautiful (Stripped Dec 2002) Aguilera tries to distract the audience from her outer beauty by ratting and half dying her hair, piercing her body and wearing loose clothes. She embraces the freak in her and shows us shocking images that force us to ask ourselves, "why are they shocking?" They are all true to themselves and are beautiful people. Fighter (Stripped June 2003) Again, challenging what we find beautiful, Aguilera's transformation is complete with the blackening of her hair. Her uglyifcation is bested with bleached skin, shaven eyebrows, odd makeup and a hunchback. An empowering breakup song, Fighter tells us of a girl whose boyfriend treated her bad, but it only made her stronger, and so she thanks him. Can't Hold Us Down (Stripped Aug 2003) Sparks fly when Aguilera, ghetto fab in the urban streets, gets her ass grabbed by a passing man. She answers him back, he gets offended and before you know it the entire 4 block radius has gathered and chosen sides based on genitalia. The second collab between Aguilera and Lil Kim since Marmalade, they let the women of the world know that they have their backs if a guy wants to step. Aint No Other Man (Back to Basics June 2006) Aguilera goes back to her soulful roots. Presumably singing about her new husband in this song, she wants to tell everyone that she has found the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with. She goes back to basics, with an older, more mature sound and with her platinum blonde locks. Keeps Gettin' Better (Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits Sept 2008) The decent into the futurist, Aguilera portrays a female director/editor who can sometimes be a super bitch, but the next day will save your ass. She depicts female superheros as both overly sexual while also being kick ass. Once again challenging traditional dichotomy rules and asking the audience why some days she's considered a bitch and some days a superhero?