“I’m so proud”: Christina Aguilera reflects on the impact of Beautiful video
Christina Aguilera has reflected on the impact of her seminal 2002 hit ‘Beautiful’. In a cover conversation with PAPER, the Grammy-winning pop icon discussed the trailblazing music video for her signature anthem, which memorably featured a same-sex couple kissing and a trans woman at a time when representation was scarce.
Twenty two years later, the Linda Perry-penned ballad is widely regarded as one of the greatest LGBTQIA+ anthems of all time. “I’ve gotten the feedback of how certain videos like ‘Beautiful,’ to show two men kissing, were very meaningful for a lot of people and made them feel okay to come out,” Aguilera told the publication. “‘Beautiful’ addressed things that people don’t want to talk about, things that people don’t want to reveal and I revealed them in that video. “We could have made a very different video where I was playing it safe, very cliché, but I went to a place of forcing it upon the public.
Aguilera continued to say that she’s “so proud” of the video and its impact on the LGBTQIA+ community: “It was early on in my life where I didn’t even think twice about it.
There’s a lot to be said about why something makes you uncomfortable. “What is that? Let’s get into it, let’s talk about it.
