Hot on the (platform, stiletto) heels of her announcement that she is taking a hiatus from "The Voice" next season to refocus on her pop career, judge Christina Aguilera has released her comeback video, "Your Body," in all its trashy, tawdry, Technicolor glory. And man, the girl is looking killer, literally, as she portrays a femme fatale on the lam who leaves a trail of destruction and slain suitors in her wake. (Don't worry, a pre-video disclaimer assures viewers that "no men were harmed in the making of this video.")
The dirrty girl's sexy "Your Body" video makes so many pop-culture references during its retina-scaldingly rainbow-brite four minutes and 40 seconds, it's enough to make even Seth MacFarlane or Dennis Miller's heads spin. And yet, somehow, it's all so very, very Xtina. First of all, Christina basically embodies both Thelma and Louise, combined into one leopard-printed package. This, of course, brings to mind Lady Gaga and Beyonce's cross-country "Telephone" road rampage...and speaking of Beyonce, the retro-'50s housewife look Christina rocks in the clip's opening scene brings to mind Beyonce's "Why Don't You Love Me" vid, which perhaps not coincidentally was lensed by "Your Body's" director, Melina Matsoukas.
When it comes to the hair--and what Christina Aguilera discussion would be complete without some serious follicle focus?--Xtina also references many other pop-culture icons' hairstyles, as well as some of her own past memorable looks. The finger-waved lavender 'do is oh-so Nicki Minaj, with a bit of Christina's old Back To Basics glamour; the grungy braids are reminiscent of "My So-Called Life" bad girl Rayanne (or Xtina's own tiny plaits from 2001); the multi-colored extensions aren't too different from the ones Christina's former Disney rival Britney Spears recently sported at the iHeartRadio music festival (or the streaks Xtina rocked herself in the early 2000s); and the pink-tipped ombre wig even seems like a subtle (well, subtle by Xtina standards, anyway) homage to Berlin's Terri Nunn.
And speaking of Berlin, the '80s references don't end there. Those rhinestone cat-eye specs? Soooo Cyndi Lauper. Paired with a platinum movie-star bob, the effect is pure Madonna circa Who's That Girl. And that pink pickup truck? It looks like it was borrowed from Hollywood billboard starlet Angelyne's garage. The result, of course, is some totally awesome fashion.
As for more recent pop-cultural touchstones, this may be a stretch here, but the tattered American-flag tee is quite Ke$ha-esque, and when Christina, still wearing said shirt, reclines in a tanning bed, Snooki leaps to mind. In fact, the scene when Xtina rampages through a roadside mini-mart, in her curve-hugging clubbing dress, kind of looks like an outtake from "Jersey Shore."
Basically, in "Your Body" Christina is dressed to excess and for success, because despite the fact that she looks like she's wearing the entire contents of a Sephora flagship store on her face and an entire counter's worth of Claire's baubles on her body, she pulls it off and makes every look totally her own. When Christina returns to "The Voice" in fall 2013, she really ought to have this video's stylist on the NBC set at all times, because this popstar-pinup thing she's got going on here is really werking for her.