Christina Aguilera’s music video for “Not Myself Tonight” (watch here) premiered just after midnight, and fan reactions to the overtly sexed-up clip are divided: she’s either copying past videos and looks by Madonna, George Michael, Lady Gaga, etc., or she’s paying homage to her icons. So what do the music critics think now that the Bionic woman has let her latest visual genie out of the bottle? Let’s hop below and take a look.
* MTV points out that, in addition to Lady Gaga, Madonna and George Michael, there are also references in the “Not Myself Tonight” video to Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Rammstein and Duran Duran. (We’ll also add Backstreet Boys, for the shirtless men dancing in the rain bit.)
* Regarding the deafening roar of Xtina as a Gaga-a-like here, London’s Metro asserts that “it’s hard not to make comparisons between the pint-sized platinum blondes, who both share a love of extremely sexual music videos.”
* People has turned the Gaga/Madge-copying debate over to the, er, people, and posted a poll on whether or not readers think “Not Myself Tonight” is a complete ripoff. So far the majority has voted “Yes. She totally knocked them off.”
* Entertainment Weekly‘s Music Mix somewhat brushes aside all the copycat claims, though, by posing two arguments: “1) When it comes to Madonna, nearly every pop star has taken pieces of her performances/styling/etc. So there’s that. And then 2) With the Gaga argument, can we really fault Christina for taking from Gaga, when Gaga herself has so ripped from a variety of other artists?” They do, however, bash the clip for having “the sad stink of I’ve-been-gone-forever-had-a-baby-and-now-want-to-be-relevant-again desperation.”
* New York‘s Vulture blog reminds us that “Aguilera spends the last 45 seconds of the three-minute song making throaty sex sounds while clambering all over a male model.” (Note: we say “reminds” because we were actually too busy eying up said male model ourselves to even notice the throaty sex sounds!)
* PopEater ponders whether or not Aguilera is taking a step backwards, and laments “we can’t help but feel like we’re looking at an over-sexed stunt when really all we want is our gorgeous, sultry Christina back.”
* E!’s Ted Casablanca lays out the awful truth by stating, “The blond babe is trying way too hard, and not in that ‘A for effort’ kind of way (tho we’re sure even the mention of grades will give Tina a reason to turn this into a naughty schoolgirl fantasy).”
* And, oh, right—Xtina has a son now! Hitfix scolds “XXXtina” by saying she’s better than this. “In a few short years, her young son Max is going to want to know why mommy has a gag in her mouth, why she’s on all fours drinking from a water bowl and why she’s kneeling between another woman’s thighs in her video for ‘Not Myself Tonight’,” the site warns.
But look—perhaps in the end, it’s like Christina sings in the dance-pop tune: “If you don’t like it, f*** you!” So what do you think of Christina’s video? Are the above criticisms fair?
POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR !!!
BUT HOT ! :))
She also looks a LOT like old school Gwen Stefani in the middle of the clip. As a huge No Doubt fan i of course notice this above all else, ha.
Oh Christina… I don’t know what to say to you. Except that if this is the creative direction you plan on taking your music, it SUCKS!
After a couple views, I’m not despising this video. Let’s just say I like the song more than the visual.
Artists hange and evolve constantly, Cher & Madonna are just 2 examples and look how long their careers have lasted…It’s necessary for longevity! We’d all become bored (with nothing to grope about) if they didn’t..The song is amazing , sure to become the top dance hot of 2010. Xtina is back and with a vengence..relax & enjoy. Her next album will probably be singing lullabye’s to her child ;-)
yuck! she’s a MOM! her son will see this video one day, so shameful! noooo, Christina–we want to hear your vocals, your unique sweet, pure voice, not a sexed up, wild video!! Grow up!! and be a good mother!! SHAME ON YOU!!! ugh.. so upsetting
I’ve never been a fan of her work; however, I’m happy she did this video. Copy cat or not, it’s good that someone as famous as Christina will try to cast a sensual light to darker fetishes, homosexuality, and the notion of just being yourself (even if it’s for the wrong reasons).
I praise women like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Christina, and even Beyonce (who has recently jumped on the bandwagon) who regardless of their vague lyrics and ‘party girl’ image, have dared to do the unconventional.
Final thought: Bring it on. Let them all struggle and compete with each other to set their mark on this “post-Gaga world”. They are entertainers after all, right?
I liked the video, im a huge fan of Lady GaGa and Christina but I have one question. Why is it alright 4 GaGa 2 imitata other peoples music videos and not be bashed 4 it?Everyones always trying 2 bash Christina when she does something new I say give her new image some time and u might like it
this girl is a loser.. she copies others since she came out.. she has no x factor and star light.. First she wanted to be Britney and Madonna now wants to be Gaga.. But it’s impossible for this girl to be a big star.. I don’t even know the names of any songs of this girl.
The video is so trashy. There is a difference between being sexy n provocative n just plain porn. Xtina comes across like such a try-hard in this video,its a shame considering she does have a good voice n does not need all this crap.
I feel bad for her she always seems to be playing second best whether it is to Britney,Beyonce n now Gaga.
That video was so sad. Christina has a better voice than anyone in Pop right now, and she doesn’t have to do this to get attention.
come on. ru honestly saying its ok to strip down to pasties and shake ur naked butt all over the place? christina has UNMATCHED vocals and doesnt need all this!
she is the best get it straight!!
facts:
1.Christina has a hell of a voice and we haven’t seen anything yet.
2.Christina knows all about fact 1.
3.Christina always gets in trouble for trying something new, especially if it has SEX in it.
Why do people have to say she’s ripping off other people? She’s smart, she wouldn’t copy other artists and hope she’d get away with it. She’s been around for awhile and it would be kinda humiliating to be trying to copy Gaga… Besides, Christina was the first platinum blonde in the block… :) This is Christina. I, for one, think the video is visually stunning. The make up is hot and crafty as well as her clothes. And most of all she does look MODERN and HIP and at the same time GORGEOUS.
And for those talking about her son watching this video… please, madonna’s kids look just fine…. that’s such a stereotype, if you’re a mom you can’t be this sexual, come on! as long as her son watches this at an appropriate age there’s no problem. And I’d be proud of my mom if she had the guts and confidence to do a video like this!
stop hating and try to see the other side of the story!
Swagga jackin at it’s worst. Terrible song and such a trashy tacky vid. Dirrty was pure hot filth I loved it but this is awful just like the song.
I would like to call your attention the fact that she’s done incredible album Back to Basics every track of which is awesome story and what? Are people buy that as I don’t know some crap that is Lil Wayne, no. So shut the f*** up and eat what you want……. by the way I’m not huge fun of her but I’m considering her talent as one of the greatest in nowadays.
What? Moms can’t be sexy and gross!? I wish my mom did this when she was 30 and I could watch it at age 5. I’m sure the kid already knows what a blowie is.
Let’s be real! The only downside to having a kid is that you either have C-section scars or you get a stretched out and useless pussy. And the video hides both of those things! Flawless!
So enough of the backseat parenting via message board. Who cares about some kid you don’t know? Puritanical fascists!
She’s an artist. she can do what she wants to do. great song!!!
Umm… wow. Lots of self-righteous people around here.
Not a ginormous Christina fan, personally. Good voice, but I’m just not a fan of her music. Sorry. Anyhoodle, I do praise her for celebrating her sexuality as a free woman. Yay for her.
Also, as to whether of not she copied others… well, pretty much EVERY artist nowadays is “copying” other, previous artists who have gone before them, no matter what the hell they’re doing. Eventually, we had to get to the point in our society where true “originality” became an unfortunate rarity.
And lastly, as for the whole, “Oh, shame on her for making a raunchy video because one day her son might see it” argument… Give me a break!! That’s just like arguing that NO WOMAN ON EARTH should EVER EVER EVER do anything even remotely sexy on the off-chance that she might one day have children and they’ll see it/get wind of it and it will traumatize them forever!! Therefore, women should be ashamed of their sexuality and never express it!
I actually personally know this family; a wife, a husband, and a 4-year-old boy. The husband teaches his son all different kinds of disgusting, raunchy things (especially about women, like different colorful ways to say “breasts”) and, even in public places, this behavior is constantly found amusing and ENCOURAGED. However, when the wife was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and needed her breasts removed, she had a professional photog taken of her breasts and hung in the privacy of her bedroom. The irony is, that picture is constantly criticized, and she always hears things like, “For shame!! Think of your SON!! What if he sees this??”
I realize it’s not *exactly* the same thing as the whole Christina issue, but I’m just trying to reflect what a large portion of our society thinks of in terms of sexuality nowadays.
Seriously… has the quest for equality just… evaporated?
poor xtina, Gaga is better! :)
First of all, if Christina wasn’t relevant no one would be commenting, and so far I’ve seen a lot of comments on a lot of sites, both positive and negative.
Secondly, I think a few of us have really understood what she meant with this, but I think the lyrics are pretty damn clear.. “NOT myself tonight” anyone? and of course, the now famous phrase “if you don’t like it f*ck you”.
Everyone has influences and yeah there’s a lot of Madonna here whom was object of harsh criticism back in the day. Christina herself was found amidst a lot of criticism when she changed directions with her Stripped album and her “Dirrty” single and video, so she’s no strange to this sexual imagery.
And the Lady GaGa thing, come on! If people listened to music from around the world would know in a beat that gaga is no electro mesiah. She’s used FAR too similar fashion to Róisín Murphy who’s been around for years! if you don’t know her do some research. Oh and by the way what about Britney and Pink using the same circus theme Christina used years before her? Christina’s always been a powerful force in pop music and a lot of people don’t know what to do with her so they attack her, but don’t worry, she’s used to it, even since she was a little girl she faced a lot of envy towards her.
At the end of the day there’s plenty of room for all this pop stars and everyone’s got a different taste. I love Christina, she’s bold and outspoken, and when she sings about kissing girls she actually kisses them ;)
Actually there are celebrities who copied styles from the other stars. Only the best one is being bashed and given poor critics… and that is Christina, Others will put her down but in the end she raises on top. I love her! of course. If you don’t like her and cannot understand what she’s trying to put off then go to your GaGa because she don’t really care at all. I bet GaGa will also take the same path as what britney took in the beginning of her career.
Christina, just stopped by to wish you joy on Mother’s Day. I know, premature, but what can I say? I would like to say someone sent me here. Before that, I just want you to know that you remind of my own mother, a little. Like Zach Galifianakis, she had breasts and no beard. How the hell is he? I thought he did John Wray better than that mimic at Princeton, doing whoever he was doing. Joy to him.
The video is dope. I can only say that it is huge. Frans de Waal, an expert on primates, has done some killer research. It is worth reading. He also was able to show elephants have self-awareness. I saw the video and spoke to him when he was here. All he had to do was get a really big mirror, and place a camera behind it. It changed the behavior of the elephant, and its thought. I can hardly wait to see your next video.
Anyway, someone sent me, and for some reason, I feel kind of shy about it. The why I did when I was thirteen, and discovered that girls just want to have fun. Girls can be playful.
So these are my footprints. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Lame, I know. But from the bottom of my sole. My heart is filled with joy when I say Miranda sent me. I did not think it was possible. But she sent me to let everyone know she won. Who would have thunk it?
After all, she is just a girl. But this boy could see her heart, and loved her for her honesty. Some girls don’t know what they have until it is too late. Even then, whoever they are, the heart within does not break, but flourishes, because that is the nature of love. Disgusting, isn’t it.
Anyway boys like to have fun, too. And it is really fun to have the girl you love need you, and say it. It also fun to see people win. Joy to you Miranda, you deserve it, I loved your last album, and think “White Liar” is dope.
Joy to you, ( )
Listen, I get why she did the video. I mean really — give me any woman who wouldn’t kill to still be seen as a sex symbol after giving birth.
Looks to me she was giving herself and her fans the “hey,I still have it in me,” and more.
I may not *love* (its more *like*) this video, but I give her points for not being ashamed of showing she’s a strong sexual being — and why can’t moms can be that?
And this is really the issue here. Strong women don’t stop being strong after they give birth.
I say more power to her!!!
Maggie,
Euripides wrote a play about a strong woman, Medea, and the events consequent to her giving birth to two children. She seemed to be a very strong woman. The theory of love under which she operated, and which compelled her to do what she did, was false.
Long ago, I spent years visiting a strong man, whose theory of love was false. When his marriage, to a celebrity of sorts, broke up, he abducted his four-year old daughter and tried to flee the States. He smothered her with a pillow. He then tried to kill himself, using several methods. He finally crashed his car, with the body of his daughter inside, into a pillar supporting a bridge. The police thought it was accidental, but he confessed to her murder.
The conversations I had with him, inside the walls of various prisons, count among the most difficult conversations I have had. I did not succeed in getting him to see things my way. I did my best, but it was not good enough. He was able to persuade the authorities of the state to give him a pardon. Imagine that. And I know his theory has not changed.
I love strong women. In my book, a strong woman embodies the true theory of love. If anyone knows where I could meet such a woman, let me know, I would like to meet her, and see what she has to say.
Joy to you, Rose.
love the song.. wasn’t surprised by the video. I was hoping for more ups and downs in the flow of the video, it was just all pow pow pow, which made it one note one note one note.
but girl…. xtina is looking hot hot hot. and i’m tearing this track up on the dance floor.
Christina I liked you before a lot more and prostituting yourself won’t sell big trust me! Very Lousy Video! And “Not being yourself tonight” does not necessarily require sexual hints. Thumb down!
There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between having influences than total rip off. The problem with Xtina is this video is pure COPY CAT!
Compare bad romance and not myself tonight…
i love it actually
Sorry, but this feels like a big fat cry for attention that she hasn’t gotten in a while. I don’t like Gaga’s biting either, but she at least takes it in a different direction. I don’t think Xtina’s really added anything to the artists she “paid homage to”.
I miss the time when I could appreciate both her amazing voice and a meaning behind the song. Not a silly song about getting drunk and loose. (gaga is not much better in that respect)
all i need to say is REMEMBER XTINA ? the dirrty times ? yeah ? okay then i guess we can flip it over now . i enjoy gaga but damn im saying
I used to really like Christina but after watching her new video I lost a lot of respect for her has an artist and a person. I thought it was very trashy and a complete copy-cat of Lady Gaga. She showed no originality. She has such an amazing voice there is no reason why she should try to be like any other artist. I think she lost a long time fan unless she can be herself.
Its so wonderful and strong, catchy tune and an extremely visual video. Fun and different, I love it!. Christina, don’t listen to all those bashers…just do your thing and the world will eventually catch up! Just because she had a baby doesn’t mean she can’t be sexy and out there. She is venturing in all directions…keeps it from getting boring and everything sounding the same. Its good to be different. Didn’t your mothers ever tell you that?
I love the song and the video!
I actually FEEL SORRY for Christina in this video…it must be a scary thing, not always being yourself! Kinda goes hand-in-hand with the dissociative mindset developed in mind control victims. (see Project MK-Ultra, Monarch, etc.) Many music artists are slaves to the agendas pushed by the many people that finance and build up their fame, and they actually have little to no say in the things they perform when contracts are involved! As for Christina copying Gaga–hello? Christina was being sexual LONG BEFORE Gaga ever hit the stage–it just took on a more blatant form in this video! Nevertheless, the persistence of symbolism in this video can be found in both Lady Gaga and Beyonce videos–which, again, perpetuates the idea that it is the financiers and people RUNNING these artists, that have a common agenda! If society is morally bankrupt, it begins with Hollywood! You can’t tun a ho into a housewife OR a mother to be revered and respected! One day, Christina will see that…and by the time she does, it will probably be too late. “Do what thou wilt” is a horrible mantra to live by, started by occultist Aleister Crowley. It will ultimately lead to the disintegration of society as we know it, as more occult symbols are pushed in our music videos and media!
I loved the video. It’s a rip off in a lot of ways, especially Madonna’s “Human Nature” video, but it doesn’t matter. I’d prefer seeing Christina’s hot body instead of Gaga or Madonna, any day. Fun song, fun video, and I’m totally stoked to see Christina jump into something new and which I think is super sexy.