Christina Aguilera's Most Risqué Outfits To Date

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

Christina Aguilera is known for more than just her stunning vocal ability; She's recognized worldwide for her fashion statements both on and off of the red carpet. From iconic music video ensembles to eyebrow-raising Halloween costumes, the entertainer has always found a way to make her mark on both fashion and music. "The biggest challenge working with Christina is that she has done everything," her stylist, Chris Horan, admitted to Vogue. "So the question [is], How do we do something that feels new?"

The star is known for changing her look often, which is something she has embraced all while growing up in the spotlight and finding and staying true to herself amidst the chaos of being a pop star. "I never really go by what's popular," Aguilera shared with Vogue. "I go with the core of things that really resonate with me on a deeper level, which sometimes isn't for the masses ... So to be able to be myself and stand by that and face the backlash ... I'm really proud of those things, more so than getting certain successes." From the more risqué to the outlandish, Christina Aguilera has always used her style to get people talking.

Frank Micelotta Archive/Getty Images

Even at the beginning of her pop star career, Christina Aguilera didn't maintain a squeaky clean image for long. She appeared alongside Mya, Lil Kim, and longtime rival Pink in a remake of the Labelle hit, "Lady Marmalade," in 2001 for the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack. Following the film's setting in a gentleman's club in Paris, France, the music video for "Lady Marmalade" featured the entertainers in various lingerie sets.

Aguilera's ensemble in particular featured a vivid red bejeweled corset and complimenting black panty, arm length white gloves, and a giant main of crimped blonde hair. "We were owning our bodies and feeling empowered as females in our sexuality, rather than being told we should be sexy in a certain kind of way," she shared with Vogue. "Look at the makeup: Was that made for a man, or for men to be attracted to? No! ... This was for us."

The group continued with the lingerie theme at both the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards – which would later be the site of Aguilera and Britney Spears' infamous on-stage kiss with Madonna — and the 2002 Grammys, where they performed the song at both ceremonies wearing more and more revealing bra and panty sets each time. The song went on to win a number of accolades, including video of the year at the former and best pop collaboration with vocals at the latter. "I mean, the whole concept was really, go big or go home," she told Vogue.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Christina Aguilera continued her raunchy regalia with the lead single from her sophomore album, "Stripped." The now iconic music video for "Dirrty" featured the starlet wearing leather chaps, a striped bikini top, and barely there bottoms, all while she splashed her way through a group shower dance and threw some punches in a grimy boxing ring. "It was living life at 21 at its best, and bringing chaps to the scenes and controversy flared," she shared with W Magazine. "Sometimes, that's what being creative, being an artist, being a risktaker is all about."

The entire album cycle lent itself to a hard left in Aguilera's style and looks. She dyed her hair jet black, added a mix of punk rock and fetish gear to her wardrobe on and off the red carpet, and overall set herself apart from the sparkling pop divas of her day. Years later, the once-adventurous wardrobe choices would even be deemed fashionable again by the likes of Vogue. "I love expressing my sexuality, but I owe no one an explanation," she told the outlet in a video interview. "I wanted to go against the grain. I wanted to be anti ... what a pop star should look and sound like. And I took bullets for it, too."

Jim Spellman/Getty Images

During her "Dirrty" era, Christina Aguilera donned what would become one of the most iconic (and barely-there) VMAs outfits in the awards show's history. Dressed in a dual draped scarf, denim micro mini skirt, sky high heeled boots, and a white pageboy cap, she strutted her way onto the red carpet and eventually on stage. The star and her team made the look from a variety of materials and pulled it together by literally tying the scarf across and around Aguilera's chest. "This was truly me living my best life," she recalled to Vogue.

But part of the reason that the outfit became so unforgettable had nothing to do with its out-there, eclectic style. That night, Aguilera presented the best male video award to her industry nemesis, Eminem – the rapper had previously made fun of the star in his song and video, "The Real Slim Shady" — but had to add a coy, "Haha, interesting," before saying his name.

Denise Truscello/Getty Images

It's not just on stage or on red carpets that Christina Aguilera has turned heads. On Halloween 2005, she raised eyebrows (and blood pressure levels) by wearing a flirty nurse's costume embellished with a double entendre on the back. While hosting her own Halloween party, Aguilera and her then-partner Jordan Bratman dressed up as a doctor and nurse. On the back of the pop star's skintight white dress, the words "At Your Service" were embroidered in red with a heart dotting the "i." She added vixen red lipstick and a pair of handcuffs to the mix, making for an unforgettable costume mix.

This Halloween costume was especially eyebrow-raising at the time because, the previous year, Aguilera was involved in a controversy related to dressing as a nurse. In 2004, the singer appeared in an ad for Sketchers that portrayed her wearing a revealing nurse's outfit that the Center for Nursing Advocacy accused of perpetuating "harmful stereotypes," per their statement to UPI. The backlash caused the ad to be ultimately pulled.

While she's never commented publicly on the ensemble (and has since divorced Bratman), she has been open about her love of the "less is more" mentality when it comes to clothes. "I like to be free," she once shared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via Us Weekly). "Sometimes, the less clothing, the better! I'm just comfortable in my skin and my body."

Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" era wasn't the only album cycle that sent heartbeats racing. When she released "Bionic" in 2010, the lead single, "Not Myself Tonight," showed an erotic side to Aguilera that was amplified with fetish gear and lots of latex. In the music video for the track, Aguilera dons a number of S&M-minded outfits, including sleek black corsets, sparkling bandeau and panty sets accompanied by ball gags and corded rope, and a see through coat with barely-there underwear. Her accompanying make-up is loud and brash to match the wildness of her outfits.

The overall vibe of the video is something that Aguilera has maintained in her everyday life. "I'm really into fetish gear and latex is really making a strong statement for me," she revealed to Q Magazine (via Express). "Good body contours ... Have I ever toned it down? Never! Well, maybe when I was pregnant. There was no latex then."

Also in 2010, Christina Aguilera starred in her first leading role as Ally in "Burlesque" opposite Cher. Her character makes her way up an L.A. burlesque club's pantheon all while performing show-stopping numbers clad in beaded leotards, bedazzled push up bras, and blunt cut wigs. In a particularly stirring number, she was draped in a green satin gown that hugged her curves as she belted a show-stopping ballad on the club stage. "I thought it was such a beautiful look and in such a vulnerable song," she revealed to Vogue.

The fashion in "Burlesque" also lent itself to a connection that the star maintained throughout her career: freedom of expression in all of its forms. Being able to showcase her true self — whether on stage, on camera, or on the red carpet — has been a vital part of Aguilera's image since the beginning, and being in "Burlesque" only affirmed that notion for the entertainer. "At the end of the day [burlesque dancing] is a movement and it's a powerful expression and it's a way that women can empower themselves and feel good," she told Cinema Blend.

Even the most well-coordinated of stars have been known to have their fair share of outfit slip ups! Christina Aguilera is no exception. During a performance on "The Voice" in 2012, the singer wore a clinging low cut gown while singing "The Prayer" with contestant Chris Mann. As the performance continued, the star almost suffered a "nip slip," and her chest was focused upon by millions of viewers. Many outlets picked up on the almost-issue, but Aguilera has never spoken publicly about the incident.

But it hasn't been just on screen or on stage that has provided an opportunity for an outfit emergency for the pop star. She once wore a crystal-shrouded gown at her 39th birthday and suffered a wardrobe malfunction when one of her breasts popped out. She was wearing a black pasty that covered her nipple, but the moment still made the rounds -– even on her own social media! The star laughed things off and continued her celebration. "Entering the last year of my 30s with the best vibes...dancing, singing, salsa-ing," she posted to Instagram. "What a night."

Emma Mcintyre/Getty Images

Pop stars doing Pride performances are a standard happening, but it's not every day that those same pop stars (literally) strap on a sex toy as they belt out their biggest hits. In 2022, the singer took the stage at L.A. Pride in a green collared ensemble complete with a headline-making sparkling green male appendage adorned to the bottoms. Also part of this performance, she paid tribute to her own past fashions, including her "Dirrty" music video.

This wasn't the first time that Aguilera has made waves by supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. In her music video for "Beautiful," she featured several representatives of different factions of said community, including a gay couple and a transgender individual. At the time, the video caused controversy amongst more conservative media and audiences. "I look at people as people," the singer told Billboard of the controversy. "That's why I'm so anti-judgement and criticizing other people, or having no sympathy or compassion for things that don't fit the norm inside your own box."