Automobile Art And Entertainment: Lil' Blonde Darling: Christina Aguilera!

Blonde Beauty Icon Christina Aguilera

Well, I can honestly say I've never been much of a fan of her music....but I'm certainly a fan of the looks Christina Aguilera has served over the last decade! She was of course one of several ex-Mouseketeers to ride the wave of bubblegum teen pop in the late-90's (along with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake). Her look during the release of her first album in 1999 was fairly wholesome, lot's of midriff baring tops and flared jeans, though she did have fun with extensions. It was 2001's release of Lady Marmalade for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack where she really started channeling her inner $tripper! I mean, she really pushed the boundaries of good taste with those burlesque looks! Her 2002 album Stripped? Forget about it! Ass-less chaps, g strings, bra tops, way too much hair and makeup for any girl that wasn't born a man.....I mean...she was LIVING! After bringing the skank look, the only place to go afterward was a softer side. For her jazzy 2006 album Back to Basics, she shwerked a retro 50's Hollywood glaMOUR look that was classic Vargas Girl and stunning. In 2008 there was a highly publicized incident at the MTV VMAs where she seemed to have appropriated the look of a certain Lady in my life. I'm not part of Christina's creative team so I can't really say for certain if it was on purpose....but it seemed a little too blatant to not be premeditated. The scandal seems to be continuing with the release of her 4th album, Bionic. While I can for sure see what all the fuss is about (you'd have to be completely blind not to see the similarities), I also see just as many early 90's Madonna references (someone who my friend has pulled many a reference from as well....let's be real). In 2010, you can't be blonde and work a look without being compared to my NYC gal pal...hell, you can't be any hair color and work a look (or wear sunglasses!?!) without the comparison being made. She's worn it all and has completely infiltrated the cultural zeitgeist (applause). It is what it is. So maybe we should give poor Xtina the benefit of the doubt and say it's an ode to Express Yourself/Human Nature. Madge was her childhood idol, after all.

What to y'all think? Is she completely plagiarizing or just pulling from the same references?