30 November 2002
The real controversy surrounding the video for Christina Aguilera’s ‘Dirrty’ arose in Thailand, where it was noticed that some background scenery posters referred to stereotypical Thai associations with underage sex tourism. Meanwhile, in the foreground, the main issue for many folk was that to their sensitive eyes Aguilera and David LaChapelle’s grimy, aggressive aesthetic was trashy and unbecoming. Time magazine, for example, said in 2006 that Aguilera “appeared to have arrived on the set of the video for her song Dirrty direct from an intergalactic hooker convention” – an editorial line they’ve probably never taken with a Prince video. What they really meant was: why can’t she just be nice sexy, demure sexy and male-gaze sexy instead, like an innocent teenager, Eric Prydz fitness instructor, or Moulin Rouge bordello madame?
Anyway, what of the actual song? Well, like the video, ‘Dirrty’ meets its own brief of being grimy and aggressive. Shards of it appeal to me, such as the “Ring the alarm!” intro, the driving chorus, and that extra ‘r’, plus the whole thing has an undeniable energy and propulsion. Also like the video, while you wouldn’t call ‘Dirrty’ a great track, its mish-mash of parts into one harsh R&B-pop steampunk engine makes it interesting and even subversive – relatively speaking, for a big-budget mainstream music industry product. I say: keep riling the right people and you won’t go far wrong.
