Christina Aguilera has opened up about the dark side of fame, saying the music industry is full of “wolves” and that the younger her “needed a hug”.
The singer became a child star on The Mickey Mouse Club TV show and had her first number one single with Genie In A Bottle when she was 18.
Aguilera, 38, told The Sunday Times: “It was a business with so many wolves.
“Older men who had other intentions.
“When you’re that young coming up in a male-run business, you’re going to see the darkest sides of things and hear how men talk about women, how they talked about my breasts.
“I do look back at that younger me, who needed a hug, and I want to tell her that not all men are like this.”
She went on: “When people just accept it and say, ‘Oh well, you know, boys will be boys’, I disagree.
“Because I do feel men should be held accountable.”
Aguilera had a string of hits after her debut single and in 2002 made a splash with Dirrty, which saw her dancing in skimpy chaps.
She said: “I was interested in opening up that conversation at the time, comfortable in my own skin, sharing that sexuality and part of myself.
“Women are not just one-dimensional creatures who should only view our sexuality from a man’s point of view.”
The singer said her own body of work has been “very progressive”.
“Fearlessness is something that I always wanted, because I saw my mother in so many positions where she was weak and so very dominated,” she said.
“That was one of my decisions, as a woman, that I would never feel helpless to a man.”