Friends, I sincerely regret to inform you that this is not a typo, and I have not messed up my math for once: “Genie in a Bottle,” the banger with with Christina Aguilera introduced herself to the world and a song that just came into your head, came out TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. “Genie in a Bottle” has potentially graduated from law school! TIME. FLIES.
It’s a good, thoughtful profile. We’re not allowed to excerpt more than 100 words — smartly, they’d rather you read the whole piece on their website, and I recommend that, too! But I did enjoy this bit:
Age and time have helped Aguilera be less affected by the world’s judgments—about her body, her work, her sexuality, everything. “I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a fuck about your opinion. I’m not going to take it on,” she says. “It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business.”
It also reminded me that “Dirrty” is likewise a real banger (and has one of my favorite “misheard lyrics” lines in that when she sings, “that’s my jam,” it also sounds like “that’s my chair,” and the idea of Xtina getting up to dance at the club but warning people not to steal her seat always made me laugh.) The whole thing reads like she’s had a lot of therapy and I of course mean that as a plus: She seems like she’s in a really good mind place, and “it must be your responsibility to take up your space” is the right way for her to tackle living in the public eye. I don’t dislike the cover — she certainly looks very much like herself, and beachy vibe is solid, although she also sort of looks like she’s about to sneeze? — but I do think there’s a photo in the editorial that I personally would have put on the cover if this were meant to be sold at a newsstand — which of course, it isn’t anymore. Which always makes me wonder: Is this all just a thought exercise anyway?
