Britney Spears clarifies Christina Aguilera comments: 'I would never intentionally body shame anybody'

Britney Spears is clarifying remarks about fellow pop star Christina Aguilera.

The "Hold Me Closer" singer said she did not intend to be critical about Aguilera's "beautiful body" in an Instagram post shared Tuesday, acknowledging that her original comments were a "projection of the insecurities I deal with all the time as a result of how my parents and the media have treated me."

"By no means was I being critical of Christina's beautiful body, it is what it is," Spears wrote alongside an illustration of two fairies. "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 !!! I was inspired by her show and she is a beautiful woman of power … Thank you @xtina for inspiring me !!!"

Kevin Kane/WireImage Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2000 MTV VMAs

Spears added that she would "never intentionally body shame anybody because I know what it feels like." She wrote, "I struggle with this because of how I feel about myself, not because I hate how anybody looks … I feel like my family knew I was insecure and people were trying to purposefully feed into this insecurity by not letting me have a choice in the people who were on stage with me."

"I appreciate you all being understanding with me as I figure out this new life I'm living," she continued, referencing the recent termination of her conservatorship. A judge granted the pop star her freedom in November 2021, 13 years after the legal arrangement was put in place by her estranged father, Jamie.

EW previously reported that Aguilera blocked her former Mickey Mouse Club costar after she shared a controversial Instagram post about the size of her and her backup dancer's bodies. Alongside a photo of text that read "I found there was only one way to look thin: hang out with fat people," Spears wrote, "My dancers … 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 !!!"

Spears' fans shared their disappointment in the comments section. "Body shaming others is not the move," one Instagram user wrote, while another added that "This ain't it."

Reps for Spears did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment. A rep for Aguilera had no comment about the clarification post.

Related content:

• Christina Aguilera unfollows Britney Spears after body-shaming post

• Christina Aguilera reunites with Mya and Hulks out with a very adult accessory at L.A. Pride

• Sam Asghari tells Kevin Federline to 'keep my wife's name out your mouth' after Britney Spears comments