The Most Daring Outfits Christina Aguilera Has Ever Worn

Christina Aguilera. She's an icon, a diva, and an undeniable force of pop-hit nature. She's also a fashion hero, with so many memorable looks to her name it's almost impossible to count them. Aguilera has been pushing the envelope of style for years, expanding her closet to incredible limits, just like her famous vocal range. However, like many pop divas in modern history, Aguilera hasn't always hit the right note with her looks. Back in her early days, she wore some outfits that would be sure to make your grandma blush. Regardless, the songstress always rocked her looks with the utmost confidence.

From her early days as a bubblegum pop princess to her evolution into her bad girl "Dirrty" era, Aguilera has never been afraid to take risks. Whether it's wearing a scarf as a top, a skirt shorter than Taylor Swift and Matty Healy's romance, or a lace ensemble fit for the Moulin Rouge, Aguilera has tried it all and lived to tell about it. She may appear on more worst-dressed lists than best-dressed ones, but one thing is for sure — she's not about to change for anyone. 

Style isn't always about impressing the critics but staying true to your most authentic self and being unapologetic about it. Aguilera has plenty of sass, which is what makes these jaw-dropping looks as memorable as they are. Let's take a walk down memory lane.

Everyone who knows anything about music knows that going to the Grammys is a big deal. Even if you're not nominated, it's the who's who event of the year, with the biggest names in the industry coming together to celebrate what they all love the most: the music. Back in 2004, Christina Aguilera decided to go all out for BMG's post-Grammys party, wearing a very bright and colorful top with stripes, stars, and other miscellaneous patterns, a black crochet skirt, black fishnet tights, plenty of necklaces (is one ever enough?) and studded heels. This look certainly isn't for minimalists, but what's the point of being a pop sensation if you can't be OTT? 

Let's not forget the famous 2000s body shimmer, which Aguilera looks like she bathed in if that golden shoulder is anything to go by. Her dark tresses were paired with razor-thin eyebrows, while her makeup was all about the color purple. 

The party, which took place at the Avalon Club in Los Angeles, was likely full of other equally jazzed-up stars whose outfits rivaled Aguilera's. 2004 was a relatively quiet year for Aguilera, who only had two songs chart: her cover of "Car Wash" for the movie "Shark Tale" and "Tilt Ya Head Back," a collaboration with Nelly. Even so, she was still very active in the industry at the time and appeared at multiple events, giving glam every single time. 

When most of us think back to Christina Aguilera's early 2000s looks, there's one thing that comes to mind faster than anything else: her chaps era. Aguilera debuted this bizarre but truly historic look in her 2002 "Dirrty" music video, which featured her dancing in an underground boxing ring wearing a bikini and a pair of chaps. This wasn't a one-off event, but something that sparked a slew of chap-based looks. She wore them to multiple shows and paired them with swimsuits on stage, making it part of her fashion genetic makeup. 

There is no one more aware of the impact the chaps had on pop culture than Aguilera herself, who paid homage to the black and yellow look by recreating it for the 2021 People's Choice Awards. She put a modern twist on it this time around but allegedly has the original chaps tucked away safely for a rainy day, telling People, "We definitely archived the look and God, I just hope they're still in good condition after all these years. ... [They are] "somewhere in the vault."

Another famous face, Kylie Jenner, also recreated the look in recent years. The beauty mogul dressed up as Aguilera in a red and black chap look from the "Dirrty" video back in 2016 for Halloween. It just goes to show that these looks continue to reign supreme. The internet never forgets, and neither do we! 

The year 2000 was notable for many reasons. Not only was it the turn of the century and the millennium, but it was also the year we saw something truly spectacular happen: Christina Aguilera performed with Fred Durst at the MTV Video Music Awards. The unlikely duo took to the stage to perform a strange medley of Aguilera's "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" and Limp BIzkit's "Livin' It Up". Though it was staged to look like Durst just got up from his audience seat on a whim, it was all strategically planned.

At the time, Aguilera was still a pop princess who had yet to go "Dirrty," while Durst was the bad boy of nu-metal. Their differences were visible in more ways than one: Aguilera wore a red leather combination that consisted of bedazzled pants and a tiny red halter top, while Durst wore his trademark backward red cap, black T-shirt, and combat shorts. The "Fighter" singer made sure her eyeshadow was especially glittery that day, and her hair was on point. Her poker-straight tresses had very on-trend red lowlights, which inspired many DIY dye jobs in months to come. 

If you're going to do a performance that everyone will marvel over for years to come, make sure you're dressed for the occasion. Aguilera clearly got the memo, while it was just another day at the office for Durst, who didn't see the need to change up his tried and true lewk.  

We may have already touched upon "Lady Marmalade" but it would be remiss to leave out the OG look from the music video for the "Moulin Rouge" track. All four of the girls, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, and Lil' Kim, looked absolutely stunning in the video, but Aguilera's look may be the most memorable. With puffed-up curly hair and intricate makeup that featured bold eyeshadow and even bolder lip, the singer slayed with a capital S. Aguilera wore a red corset paired with black panties and stockings, making it look like she just stepped right out of the Moulin Rouge itself.

Despite having tons of creative moments to look back on in her career, Aguilera said to Vogue of the "Lady Marmalade" experience: "[It was] one of my favorite moments of my career. This was where we stopped apologizing for anything. It was an explosion of everything being at the right place at the right time. I loved [Pink, Mya, Lil' Kim] and working with them, and even seeing what they're doing now is so beautiful. When you share something like that and you can look back on such an amazing part of pop culture in that way."  

Aguilera went on to say that this time helped her to come into her own and make the transition from her debut record into the artist she would eventually become. According to her, "I got to just live my best life in this creative world." 

In another outrageous outfit from the 2003 MTV Europe Awards, Aguilera left little to the imagination. For this performance, she stripped down to a baby pink bra, left exposed by what may have been the tiniest yellow shirt in the world, tied into a bow. She matched these with a pair of beige chinos and a pink hat. The strange ensemble was only emphasized by Aguilera's crimped black hair and OTT eyeshadow. And of course, no 2000s performance would be complete without shirtless men to go with it! 

This entire getup was very reminiscent of Aguilera's style at the time, but her look would change the following year when she returned to her original platinum blond and took on a more refined pinup style look. Still, when most of us think of Aguilera's early naughties fashion, we'll always be reminded of deep tans, razor-thin eyebrows, endless black hair, and enough eyeshadow to make RuPaul say "Shantay, you stay!"