Christina Aguilera slams obsession with women's faces in the spotlight

Iconic songstress Christina Aguilera has been singing for years that we are beautiful, no matter what they say. And in a new interview,  she addresses the media’s constant obsession with women’s faces.

"It's a lot of stigma, a lot of old-school behaviour and ideals that women have to look a certain way and that it's shameful to get older," the Genie In A Bottle singer told Allure in a new, in-depth interview.

"No matter what you do, you're going to have people that hate on you," she tells the outlet.

Her words come on the heels of Madonna setting the armchair critics on Twitter ablaze after her appearance at the Grammy’s sparked rumours about what procedures the Material Girl has undergone to maintain her youthful look at age 64. Christina and Madonna famously performed together on stage at the 2003 VMAs and shared an iconic kiss. 

“I’ve grown up in this business. I started performing at six or seven and then I broke when I was a teenager,” she revealed. “The bigger you are and the more successful, unfortunately, that comes with more hate or more scrutiny. And I’m a very sensitive person, but I’m also very tough at the end of the day.”

She also lamented the pressure added by social media, where filters and beauty standards can warp our minds. “Social media wasn’t around when I was coming up, and now I feel bad for people that don’t want to be in the business and just look at comments. My daughter’s not there yet with looking or posting yet, but I’m very conscious of the day when these things happen.”

The “Fighter” singer also admitted she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a “little help” from injectables.  

"I've always been a pretty open book about embracing my body, my looks," she explained. "I think to each their own, and I think we [should] all do what's right for us, so I don't believe in judgment where that's concerned whatsoever."

“But for me, I like to make sure what I put in my body is the safest it can be. I live a big life.”

Although she declined to specify exactly which treatments she has undergone herself, yesterday she posted an endorsement on her official Instagram  for a facial injection to reduce lines and wrinkles, saying in the caption that she  uses it for her frown lines.

She did hint to the outlet that she doesn’t go crazy on the injectables because her performance requires a high degree of “authenticity” when it comes to her expressions. "When I'm on stage, authenticity in my face comes first," she added. "I have a very expressive face, and when I sing, the emotion has got to come through. I don't have time to have a stoic, still face."

"For me, it's about bringing that realness to the stage and my daily life while still doing what I can to feel and look my best," she said. In addition to a little syringe help, Xtina also touted the virtues of staying away from UV rays and being good to yourself. "I take care of myself, too."

"I've never been a lover of the sun," she continued. "My vampire ways have helped the skin a little bit. I do not fuss with a 50-step beauty baloney routine. It's just not for me. For some people that might work."

Xtina recently re-released her iconic ballad “Beautiful” with a new music video for the digital age, and it speaks to all the issues she addressed in the new Allure interview. Read the full interview here.