Analysis of “Beautiful” from Christina Aguilera

What some people might think as shameful, Christina Aguilera’s song “Beautiful” is quite strong and very inspirational. “Beautiful” is a song about society’s standard of personal beauty. Christina Aguilera wrote this song to put all stereotypes aside and make people realize that there is beauty in everyone. Opinions of others should not fill the emptiness in themselves but only to make them stronger and focus on bettering themselves. “Beautiful” is about contradicting ideas of the standards of beauty.

Almost every teenage girl goes through stages in her life where she doesn’t feel beautiful or she is ashamed of the way she looks. The first words Christina Aguilera uses in her song, “Beautiful” are “Don’t look at me” (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). This gives off a very ashamed tone. A lot of teenage girls can relate to this because of all the struggles they go through with their bodies and the standardized look of beauty. As I said earlier, “Beautiful” is supposed to be a very inspirational song for teenage girls.

The lyrics, “Now and then I get insecure”, do not support the inspirational tone (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). Christina Aguilera begins the song with the speaker being very down and insecure, “I’m so ashamed” (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). As the song projects, we learn that the speaker is actually very strong and uplifting to others who may seem down, “I am beautiful /no matter what they say” (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). Even though the speaker may be struggling with something bigger in the inside, she is telling herself not to be ashamed.

Because the speaker is reminding herself that no matter what other people think, she is still beautiful, this might be an obvious sign of a battle she is going through with her looks and how she really feels on the inside. This part of the song is contradicting the meaning of the lyrics as to say what other people think of you actually affects them. This also shows that a person’s image is very important rather than what’s on the inside. It is human nature to feel like everyone is looking at you and singling you out.

Christina Aguilera is a well-known celebrity that embraces her beauty and stands as an icon. All eyes would go to her if she walked into a classroom of students. This proves to contradict the song’s idea of bad stereotypes because she is setting standards for being a famous icon. Even though some would strive for attention, this song is illustrating that attention should not be given because “no matter what they say” a person is still beautiful (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). Who is to say that a female’s appearance is to attract men?

Not all females are straight and “the sun will always shine” (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). This meaning, it is not about what is socially acceptable or what you should do. But to accept other people’s feeling and your own as well. In Christina Aguilera’s music video, it shows a man wearing all black with spiked hair, a boy struggling to lift weights in his room, a girl looking at her skinny body in her mirror, and a gay couple sitting on a bench (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). In society, these might be thought of as examples of different people and some might think they are weird or odd.

Aguilera most likely put these images in her video to show the typical stereotypes of being described as ugly or different. In reality, each and every one of those people are one of a kind and beautiful in their own way. In the beginning of Christina Aguilera’s music video, all of the people seem unhappy and self-conscience with themselves and their appearances (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). Towards the end of Aguilera’s music video, the actors look very pleased and smile at themselves. As the song progresses, the speaker is stronger in tone and their feelings.

As the lyrics stated earlier, “I am beautiful”, the same verse was repeater but instead it reads “We are beautiful” (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera). Society eventually comes together in accepting each other’s differences and embracing what is unique about one another. It is in everybody’s nature to make assumptions and inferences of others. I think it does matter what people think of you because no one wants to appear as a bad person to anybody. Although, some people will only appear to be a good person and build others up to get the same in return and to feel better about themselves.

Those who are confident don’t mind what other people think of them and they are happy with who they are. I believe “Beautiful” is a song with a flawed argument. Christina Aguilera creates a double standard with the lyrics. Aguilera is a beauty icon herself and is singing about everyone being beautiful and phasing out the stereotypical images of beauty. Aguilera is the image of beauty. Starting a song with “Don’t look at me” and then talking about people saying bad things about you and expecting you to not care is very contradicting (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera).

In reality, society will not rise above the standards of beauty. We see one thing that is different and it is our nature to judge. The song has a very happy ending with people accepting each other but our society today will not allow it. People deal with these struggles every day and the song is implying that they should just get over it and face it. Some people may ask, what is beauty? In my opinion, beauty if confidence. Girls and boys are all pressured to make their body image perfect so they would be considered as “attractive”.

When people become obsessed with their looks, they constantly compare themselves to other people who they see as “better looking”. Different cultures have multiple beauty values and they are all connected to health and reproductive capacity. In some societies, the bigger the girl, the more attractive. This is a relationship to reproduction capacity. All standards of beauty are different and I think this is what Christina Aguilera was trying to prove in her song. The lyrics, music, and vocals of the song are very powerful. I think this makes the message even more clear to the listeners.

The song got very intense towards the ending and her vocals got louder and stronger. I believe Christina Aguilera started the song talking about herself and her own experiences. The lyrics change from singular to plural towards the end and I think that was her way of saying she is fighting with all the other girls dealing with the same hardship and battling the same problem. At the very end of the song she says, “So don’t you bring me down today”, almost as if it were a warning to anyone that would try to break her confidence and self-esteem (“Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera).

After listening to “Beautiful”, I feel very empowered and I feel like I can conquer anything and I think that was Aguilera’s goal in writing this song. I see examples of insecure teens every day and this song is very relatable in terms of life and self-battles. Not one person in this world is perfect and there are no standards. When you are a teenager, you have not faced all the ups and down in life and the most important thing to you might be your looks and other people’s opinion on you. Every one’s life story is different.

Many people have different faiths and beliefs. In conclusion, every single person in this world suffers from being different but this should not tear people down. This should make us all stronger and we should embrace all of our differences. Christina Aguilera has done a very well job reaching out to listeners and making them realize that judging and bringing people down is a huge issue in today’s society and we are the only ones that can change it. I have found much wisdom in “Beautiful”.