DIRRTY: Christina Aguilera Reflection
"Let's get dirrty (that's my jam) I need that, uh, to get me off Sweatin' until my clothes come off"
Kirstin Lieb would more than likely argue that Christina Aguilera's clothes have already come off and that she is in her, "phase in the popstar's life in which her clothes begin to fall off." As the video begins the viewer is hit with sexuality; Aguilera walks through the dimly lit scene in a pair of assless chaps complete with a small "x" written on her underwear. The suggestive intro is just the beginning of a raunchy montage of scenes set in a boxing ring with buff shirtless men surrounding and groping the singer. Lieb contends that this part of a popstar's career is the "midsection" after which one of two distinct things will happen. The first: you can be, "slated as a diva," as Beyonce says in her appropriately titled song Diva "a diva is a female version of a hustler." Lieb's argument says that this is the luckier of the two paths, in which people begin to talk about the star's accomplishments and voice instead of their physical characteristics. The second of the two paths Lieb describes as the "hot mess path" in which people begin to focus solely on the artist's bad behavior, completely forgetting the musical talent that allowed her rise to fame.
While I haven't avidly followed Christina Aguilera, my sense is that she found her way closer to the side of "diva" than "hot mess." However, this inevitable phase in which Aguilera's clothes began to fall off has surely made an impact on her career. I remember for years seeing Aguilera's body plastered on People Magazine, showing every detail of when the star gained and lost weight. With such an amazing and powerful voice, this seems unfair, but as Lieb seems to suggest, this comes with the territory. Lieb believes that this, "misogyny spread by pop culture" is something every female artist will encounter, as it is built into the rich and powerful music industry.
The fourth comment down on Aguilera's Dirrty video is above. The 415 thumbs up this comment received only serves to prove a point about the hyper sexuality and misogyny that pop culture is fostering. Almost 7 years later, an anonymous skeleton drawing online comments on his or her preferences for women's bodies and is met with over 400 people who agree. The twelve replies go on to debate wether or not the commenters believe Aguilera's body was photoshopped frame by frame, a seemingly useless argument, again, taking away from the music behind the body. In today's music market heavily influenced by sharing and platforms like Soundcloud, it could be easier for a female artist to break through without the controlling eye of a record company that pressures female artists to make stylistic choices like those seen in Dirrty. However, Lieb's ideas are important because we are not yet rid of this hyper sexualization that Aguilara and so many others give into.
Today we hear songs like Down by Fifth Harmony topping the charts. In their highly publicized VMA performance the group sings and dances to their hit single. While the performance is fun and upbeat, it is clear that this phase of hyper sexualization influences the group. One of the singers, Normani, struts down the stairs of the stage in knee high silver boots and glittering underwear hitting her notes perfectly. The audience dances to the beat until Normani drops into the splits at the bottom of the stairs and earns the highest amount of screaming and applause the group hears the whole performance. This is interesting as the group isn't even considered to be a dance group, yet they still employ sexy moves as a way to engage and excite their audience (which clearly works). Is Fifth Harmony in their clothes-less faze? See for yourself below:
