‘I’ve been shamed for being open’

Christina Aguilera can’t be held down when it comes to talking about sexism.

The “Dirrty” singer, 43, got candid about female sexuality and how her career has been built on it for Adweek’s February 2024 issue.

The cover was unveiled by People on Tuesday, with Aguilera noting that her wellness brand Playground has been instrumental in helping to delete societal hypocrisy about females’ bodies.

“This has been a very comfortable and natural space for me to enter because [sexuality] has been such a big part of my life, my world, my music,” she said about her label.

Playground was launched in May 2022 with the Grammy winner coming on as co-founder. The company has one product — a lubricant for sexual pleasure that comes in four scents.

“I’ve experienced firsthand the double standards [put on women]; and I’ve been shamed for being open, for expressing myself sexually and trying to own my body, and for trying to empower other women. People are afraid of that,” Aguilera explained.

She stated that Playground’s main objective is to inform and empower women in regards to their sexual health.

Of the female sex, Aguilera said that women are “shamed, labeled, [and] scrutinized.”

“It’s time for all that to end,” she went on. “That’s the future of this brand; it’s about opening doors for new conversations, [encouraging women] to take better care and have awareness for their bodies and themselves.”

Aguilera wants to make sure her daughter Summer Rain, 9, doesn’t grow up to “feel shame or stigma,” either. She added: “I want my son to understand and appreciate women’s struggles and what they go through, and to feel part of the conversation as well.”

The New York City native shares Summer with fiancé Matthew Rutler, as well as son Max, 15, with ex-husband Jordan Bratman.

Aguilera has released many girl-power anthems throughout her decades-long career, including “Beautiful,” “Walk Away,” “Can’t Hold Us Down” and “Fighter.”

In April, she also revealed her top sexual kinks on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. She dished that she loves giving Rutler oral sex, saying it’s “really important to be with a partner where you can really explore.” 

She called herself a “promoter of the swallow,” adding that “swallowing is really a good thing … It’s got a lot of protein.”

“There are some guys that don’t like their [testicles] being touched … and there are some guys that like brutal things happening to them,” she added at the time. “There [are] a lot of different levels.”