Christina Aguilera is kicking off the new year with an important message.
On Tuesday, the Grammy Award winner posted a video montage to her Instagram that featured various footage of herself throughout the year and a slew of comments from online haters questioning her physical appearance following rumors of Ozempic use. In the caption, Aguilera reminded her 10 million followers that while judgments are inevitable, "no one deserves an explanation."
"This year, doing something a little different. This is a reminder to everyone that you are your OWN STORYTELLER in your OWN LIFE," she wrote. "No one else can dictate who you are. No one deserves an explanation. I am evolved enough to know that nothing comes easy and no one is perfect."
"Everyone will judge you. No matter WHAT you do," she continued. "And/ or what you don’t do. Acceptance comes with accepting yourself first. And the difficult journey it takes sometimes to get there. I celebrate everyone taking the time to put one step in front of the next everyday in order to build the next version of themselves for the better. Allowing yourself grace, patience and respect."
Though Aguilera's appearance has sparked debate online about whether she has dabbled with Ozempic, the "Beautiful" singer has not directly addressed the speculations.
Ozempic, which is a semaglutide injection, was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, but the medication has increasingly been prescribed off label for weight loss, along with several other similar medications.
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In August, the pop singer - who is mom to Max, 16, and Summer, 10 - opened up about the pressures she has faced to look a certain way throughout her career.
"When you’re a teenager, you have a very different body than when you’re in your 20s," she told Glamour. "I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, ‘Oh, she’s getting thicker.’ Then I had industry people: ‘They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager.’"
"I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a f--- about your opinion," she added. "I’m not going to take it on. It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business."
In May 2021, Aguilera told Health magazine how those certain pressures affected her self-esteem as a young woman.
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"I would never want to relive my 20s – you’re so in your own head and finding your confidence," said Aguilera. "As you age, you stop comparing yourself to other people and start appreciating your own body and owning it."
"Accepting yourself is what beauty is really about," she added. "As much as I also love being a glam girl and playing dress-up for the camera, when it all comes off, that’s what’s ultimately most rewarding – being able to feel really good about who’s staring back at you in the mirror, because you’re owning all of it."
