Christina Aguilera is unrecognisable in make-up free magazine shoot

Think Christina Aguilera, think boundary-pushing fashion (remember those chaps?), full-on make up and out-there hair (the braids, how could we forget the braids?).

But the 37-year-old singer has turned her back on all that to go bare-faced for a stripped-back appearance on the cover of Paper magazine.

And boy does she look amazing!

The beautiful cover sees Christina appear make-up free (or, at least, with the appearance of no make-up) with her finger raised to her lip and wearing a gold ‘mom’ ring.

The make-under pictures continue inside with her hair tightly curled and just a smidge of barely there make-up, revealing a smattering of freckles.

But some of the other images from the stunning shoot hint at the Christina of old with the star rocking glossy lips and glittery pink eye shadow.

The overall theme of the shoot and accompanying interview seems to be ‘transformation’ with the star explaining that her desire to experiment in both her music and her style forms “part of her unique appeal.”

She went on to say that each of her albums has allowed her to venture in a different direction and explore a different side of herself. From the “midriff-baring tops, flared pants and glossy lips,” of her first album, followed by the “two-toned hair, bikini tops and those iconic leather chaps that accompanied the “game changing” single ‘Dirrty’ and more recently the 40s look hair and signature red lips.

“I need movement, I need to go explore, be an artist, create and transform,” she said.

When it comes to discussing today’s music industry and the new artists breaking through, she believes there isn’t quite as much scrutiny as when she was an emerging star: “They don’t have as much backlash when they come out on the scene. And I did. It was a very interesting and controversial time for me.”

She went on to note that as a woman in the music industry, it was difficult to strike the right balance in revealing your true self.

“Either women are not sexual enough or we’re not fulfilling enough of a fantasy for you, but then if we’re overtly sexual or feeling empowered in a certain kind of way, then we’re shamed for it,” she said.

“Madonna had to go through it in her day, and she paved the way for my generation to come up. And paying it forward, now a younger generation is coming up and I’m loving what I’m seeing. It’s so incredible.”

The pop star also discussed the “double-edged sword” that is social media.

“There’s always gonna be the good and the evil, the dark and the light. I think now is the time, more than ever, that we’re seeing that in every sense of the word,” she said.

But overall she believes that we’re moving in the right direction when it comes to inclusive beauty and body image standards.

“There’s always gonna be those trolls out there or people that have their own definition and ideals of beauty, but I think we’re progressing to a place of pushback and more people coming out.”

You can read the full interview with Aguilera in Paper magazine here.

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