"Your Body": Christina Aguilera Reflection
Christina Aguilera’s “Your Body” music video falls into the category that Kristin Lieb presented as The Temptress. I believe many female artists fit this role at some point in their career. They act as a daring sex symbol capturing the gaze of millions who watch. Essentially, the majority of female artists have a point in their career where they attempt to be wanted by the masses, yet makes it known that not anyone can have them. Cristina Aguilera fits this role in “Your Body. Lyrics such as “I want your body” and “I know you want it” promote herself as being a temptress. Even conceptually in the video, she supports this theory. Throughout the video, she is luring multiple men in into her trap where she acts as if she is going to have sex then she murders them. Aguilera did not always promote this message. Released in 2012, this video strays far from her music released in the early 2000’s. I believe she made this video, falling into Lieb’s category, in order to stay relevant. In the music industry, sex sells. Her label believed that this was the best avenue for her to have her music heard, and they didn’t fail. This video currently has over 175 million views on YouTube, which is one of her highest viewed videos. The comments are filled with viewers completing her “sexiness”. This role of playing “the temptress” seemingly draws the attention that it is aiming to get.
Brandy is another artist that fitted into multiple categories that Lieb proposes. Due to her beginning her career as a teenager, brandy fulfilled the “Good Girl” stereotype. She was loved and praised as being this wholesome girl who had an amazing voice. The label continued to promote this until it was publicly revealed that she was pregnant. She received a lot of backlash from this because it did not coincide with her image that she attempted to maintain. Therefore, her career took a turn where she transformed from the good girl to the diva. She began to use sex more as a symbol. Her content was not as provocative as that of a temptress, however, it consistently promotes a strong image as a diva. In her music video for “put it down”, lyrically she is suggesting her power as a sex symbol is irresistible. “I’m a put it down, you're going to fall in love”, is a prime example of how she promotes herself. In the music video she is pursued by multiple men, none of which are good enough for her. Again, the public appears to prefer this image of a “temptress” or “diva” as opposed to a good girl. Her music that is more provocative is well received by the masses.
