Britney Spears praises ‘beautiful’ Christina Aguilera after fat-shaming accusations
Britney Spears (L) and Christina Aguilera (R) at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. (Getty)
Britney Spears has denied fat-shaming Christina Aguilera after one of her Instagram posts about back-up dancers went viral.
The “Toxic” singer faced immediate backlash from fans when she shared an image on social media that read: “I found there was only one way to look thin: hang out with fat people.”
In the caption, Britney Spears said she wished she had been able to choose her own dancers during her conservatorship, adding: “I mean if I had Christina Aguilera’s dancers I would have looked extremely small.
“I mean why not talk about it?? Don’t you think my confidence would have been a bit better if I could choose where I lived, ate, whom I called on the phone, dated and who was on stage with me!!!”
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Shortly after Spears shared the post, Aguilera reportedly unfollowed her on Instagram, while fans called her out in the comments.
Britney Spears praised Christina Aguilera as ‘a beautiful woman of power’
Spears addressed the controversy in a second Instagram post.
She wrote: “By no means was I being critical of Christina’s beautiful body, it is what it is!!!”
“I flew to see her show once and the main thing I noticed was the difference of our people on stage!!! By no means did I even mention Christina, look at my post!!!”
Spears said she was “inspired” by Aguilera’s show and described the “Dirrty” singer as “a beautiful woman of power”.
“To be honest, I’m not trying to be critical of anybody,” Spears added.
“What I posted is a projection of the insecurities I deal with all the time as a result of how my parents and the media have treated me…
“I would never intentionally body shame anybody because I know what it feels like… I struggle with this because of how I feel about myself, not because I hate how anybody looks…”
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Spears said her family – who she has spoken out against repeatedly since her conservatorship was terminated – knew about her insecurities and “purposefully” added to them by not allowing her to pick her own back-up dancers.
“I appreciate you all being understanding with me as I figure out this new life I’m living!!!” Spears added.
Spears’ post has racked up more than 160,000 likes, with fans sharing their love for the singer in the comments.
“And this is how a true queen speaks,” one wrote.
“Your true fans know you didn’t mean any harm in that post,” another said.
Aguilera has not commented on the furore, but Entertainment Weekly reported the singer unfollowed Spears on Instagram on Monday (12 September).
Spears has become increasingly outspoken ever since her conservatorship – the legal arrangement that dominated much of her adult life – was terminated.
Under the arrangement, Spears’ father and others controlled much of her life and finances.
Spears has used her Instagram account to speak out against her parents and her siblings.
Most recently, she said she won’t see her sons until she feels “valued” after they spoke out against her.
