See Christina Aguilera's incredible transformation through the decades as star turns 45 — from child star and '00s icon to now

Christina was born in 1980 and at the age of 13 got her first taste of fame when she appeared on The All New Mickey Mouse Club between the years of 1993 and 1994, with Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears!

In 1998, she was asked to record the theme song, "Reflection", for the animated film Mulan, and it led to a record deal with RCA and a new trajectory for her life. 

In 1999, Christina released her self-titled debut album, which topped the US Billboard 200 and garnered three US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)".

"Genie in a Bottle", was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and a year later. she won the Best New Artist category, which helped to solidify her reputation as a singer.

"I was completely blown away, shocked, overwhelmed and thrilled," she told press after, of her win. "I didn't expect it. I've dreamed of that since I was eight years old. I was rambling off the top of my head, my knees were shaking and I'm still floating on air because of it!"

During that era, Christina was often compared to her peer, Britney Spears, and the two were pitted against each other, with Britney becoming known for her girl-next-door image while Christina was often criticised for her provocative lyrics. 

Both were blonde-haired singers, with Christina leaning into a slightly edgier style, mixing 90s grunge with crop tops and metallic makeup.

In 2002, Christina shocked the world when, after being displeased with the lack of control over her image, she ditched her platinum blonde hair and teen pop image for dark brunette hair, tattoos, and body piercings.

It was during this era that Xtina, her alter-ego, emerged, and she released Stripped, one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century and whose debut single was "Dirrty".

The video caused widespread controversy, with Christina wearing a bikini and chaps, but it became a defining moment in her career, with the chaps making an appearance on the Liberation Tour (2018) and her Vegas residency Christina Aguilera: The Xperience (2019–2020).

In August 2003, Christina once again caused controversy when, at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she opened the show singing "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" alongside Britney Spears and Madonna. Halfway through the performance, Madonna kissed both singers, and it has become one of the most iconic pop culture moments of all time.

After touring, in 2005 Christina unveiled a brand new look inspired by 1950s Hollywood. 

Burlesque-style curly blonde hair and bold red lipstick marked the new persona, which also came to stand for her new sound, as she released the 2006 album, Back to Basics, inspired by music from the 1920s to 1950s, and was described as a "throwback with elements of old-school [music] combined with a modern-day twist".

The tour incorporated acts inspired by juke joints and the circus that tied into her theme of nostalgia, and she also performed alongside the likes of Tony Bennett.

In 2008, Christina welcomed her first child, son Max, whose father is music executive Jordan Bratman, whom she married in 2005. Their divorce was finalized in 2011, during a period of time that saw Christina at her most prolific.

The singer released her sixth studio album, Bionic, on June 6, 2010, and landed her first starring role as a waitress turned burlesque performer in the Steven Antin film Burlesque, alongside Cher and Julianne Hough. 

It became an instant cult classic and a Golden Globe nominee. 

 Christina received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the same week that the film premiered in late 2010 and by April 2011, she had also been named a new coach on reality competition The Voice.

By that time Christina was dating production assistant Matthew Rutler, whom she met while filming the musical Burlesque. In 2014, the pair welcomed their daughter, Summer Rain Rutler.

Throughout this time, there was an intense scrutiny on her body image, which had changed due to age and pregnancy.

"When you're a teenager, you have a very different body than when you're in your 20s,' Christina told Glamour magazine in 2024, acknowledging the interest – and criticism – from fans and the public in her changing body.

"I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, 'Oh, she's getting thicker." Then I had industry people [saying], 'They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager'."

Christina has previously credited an active lifestyle to keep healthy, focusing on yoga, boxing, strength training, and cardio exercises. In the past, she has worked out with celebrity trainer, Tee Sorge, who incorporated heavy weights with strength training and cardio to boost Christina's metabolism to maximize calorie burn.

She also once shared that she followed the Rainbow Diet, on which followers eat foods based on a specific color each day – red, yellow, orange, green, white, for example – known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

On the days she would eat only orange food, she could pick from fruits and vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. On green food days, Christina could eat broccoli, cabbage, kale, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.

She also told Health in 2021 that when she first entered the business she "hated being super skinny".

"Once I turned 21, I started filling out a little bit, and I was loving my new curves. I appreciated having a booty. I've always said that women are way more interesting to look at than men!" she continued. "I have a hard time looking at the early pictures of myself because I remember feeling so insecure."

In 2019 Christina followed in the footsteps of her peer Britney and began a Las Vegas residency, with a 25-date show at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. 

She also toured internationally and recorded two songs for Disney's 2020 live action remake of Mulan.

Christina released her ninth studio album, Aguilera, as a double album on May 31, 2022, honoring her Latina background, and it was one of her most critically acclaimed albums ever, winning for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Latin Grammy Awards.

Her image, however, has remained steady – full of bold fashion choices that highlight her figure, bright lipsticks and platinum blonde hair. 

In July 2025, during the press night performance of Burlesque: The Musical in London, she wore a bondage-style Dolce & Gabbana dress that laced across her body and showed off her Agent Provocateur lingerie, while she embraced a wet, slicked back look for her hair.

Months later, during her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson show, Christina appeared in a chiffon bandage dress, with her blonde locks instead curled to perfection and framing her face.

While the singer has fluctuated in weight over the years, and found her own look, she has always been "confident" in her own skin.

"Being too thin. Being bigger. I've been criticized for being on both sides of the scale," she once  told Marie Claire.