Christina Aguilera addressed speculation about her appearance in a video montage released on New Year’s Eve.
The US pop star, 44, has been the subject of scrutiny in the press and on social media due to her new look, with some experts claiming she represents a new era of “undetectable” cosmetic surgery.
In her post, which included some highlights from the past 12 months such as her live shows, brand partnerships and collaborations with other stars, she also showed some of the online comments about her appearance.
“She looks so different,” one person remarked, while another claimed: “Fake.”
“Location of the fountain of youth please,” another joked.
“This year, doing something a little different,” Aguilera announced. “This is a reminder to everyone that you are your OWN STORYTELLER in your OWN LIFE. No one else can dictate who you are. No one deserves an explanation.
“I am evolved enough to know that nothing comes easy and no one is perfect. Everyone will judge you. No matter WHAT you do. And/ or what you don’t do.”
She continued: “Acceptance comes with accepting yourself first. And the difficult journey it takes sometimes to get there.
“I celebrate everyone taking the time to put one step in front of the next everyday in order to build the next version of themselves for the better. Allowing yourself grace, patience and respect…”
In August last year, Aguilera responded to claims that she had been using Ozempic for weight loss and spoke about the impact of constant judgement through her career.
“I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a f*** about your opinion. I’m not going to take it on,” she told the outlet. “It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business.”
Aguilera explained that when she was younger, the media regularly brought up her weight, which led to her self-esteem being based around “how skinny I was.”
“When you’re a teenager, you have a very different body than when you’re in your twenties,” she said. “I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, ‘Oh, she’s getting thicker.’ Then I had industry people: ‘They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager.’”
She said that having children had played a large part in helping to shift her mindset: “Your kids trigger things in you that you don’t want them to go through,” she said. “And it’s almost like you’re reliving this whole thing again.
“I’ve seen so much so young. You just want the best for your kids.”
