Christina Aguilera: Madonna Impersonator or Latina Trailblazer?

Christina Aguilera hasn't gotten a lot of great press lately. In May, after her single "Not Myself Tonight" was released to poor reception, the pop star went ahead and cancelled her summer tour. Critics have fiercely attacked her latest album, Bionic, as well as the apparently over-sexualized nature of how the erstwhile teen star chose to reemerge on the pop scene. (For example, "Not Myself Tonight's video has been dismissed as “an oversexed Gaga rip-off.”)

But are such critics of Christina missing the point?

For many, Christina is just another blonde pop star with a difficult last name to pronounce. For others, she’s just that girl that took Britney’s Grammy. To tabloids, she was that other girl who kissed Madonna.

What gets lost in pop culture myopia is the fact that Christina is a mixed-race artist with an Ecuadorian father. Perhaps the cookie-cutter music industry doesn't know how to deal with a mixed-race artist like Christina. Yet Christina’s music has long been inspired by her Latina/o roots.

While the music industry criticizes Christina's sexuality, it's never presented a clear or consistent acknowledgement of Aguilera’s Latina background.From her all-Spanish album, Mi Reflejo — featuring Cuban composer César Portillo de la Luz’s classic "Contigo en la Distancia" — to her recent song "Desnúdate," featured in Bionic, Christina's ethnicity has hardly been incidental to her artistry. 

Even if Christina isn't popularly seen as a Latina artist, Mi Reflejo did receive a Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album and reached #1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums. Independent of English-language radio, Mi Reflejo made its mark in the Spanish-speaking world.

Christina’s “oversexed Gaga rip-off” is more complex than its critics have suggested, just as Christina's identity is likewise more complex than popularly portrayed. Her latest video is a sexy and provocative journey through a lavishly glamorized world of S&M — one that, yes, is an homage to Madonna, with hints of Gwen Stefani and maybe even Lady Gaga. But it's more than that, too. "Not Myself Tonight" is an aggressive affirmation of sexuality — and bisexuality, as well.

As someone who sees violence and health disparities among Latinas/os as a trend inextricably linked to sexual silence, I think Christina's “oversexed” video is trailblazing. Though the video single makes no explicit Latina/o references, paired with Bionic’s 5th track,"Desnúdate" (translation: Get Naked), Christina's latest body of work is powerful — particularly for the growing population of Latinas/os who experience life bilingually.

Just as Ricky Martin’s coming out and subsequent People in Español's Father's Day feature were watershed moments for Latino culture, beyond her recent controversies, we shouldn't forget Christina's contributions as a Latina pop star, either.

Photo Credit: 2493TM