Britney Spears responded to the comment after seemingly body-shaming Christina Aguilera and her backup dancers.
“I was definitely not critical of Christina’s beautiful body, it is what it is!!! I flew in once to see her show and the main thing that struck me was the difference between our people on stage!!!” the “Toxic” singer, 40, insisted in a Tuesday Instagram post.
“I never mentioned Christina, look at my post!!! I was inspired by her show and she is a beautiful woman with power… Thanks @xtina for inspiring me!!!”
Spears went on to clarify that her intention was not to “criticize anyone.”
Rather, she saw her original post as “a projection of the insecurities I face all the time as a result of how my parents and the media have treated me.”
The superstar claimed she would “never intentionally shame anyone” because she “[knows] how it feels” to be judged by her physical appearance.
“I struggle with this because of how I feel about myself, not because I hate how someone looks,” she explained.
Spears said she wanted to convey that she felt her estranged family “purposefully” aroused her insecurities by allowing her “a choice in the people who were on stage with me” during her nearly 14-year conservatory. The controversial legal settlement was finally terminated in November 2021.
“I appreciate you being understanding with me as I find out what new life I’m living!!!” she finished her post, accompanied by a drawing of two fairies holding hands.
Spears posted a lengthy caption Monday afternoon that read, in part, “If I’d had Christina Aguilera’s dancers, I would have looked extremely petite.”
The actress’s “Crossroads” post came alongside a quote attributed to Rodney Dangerfield that read, “I discovered there was only one way to look thin: dating fat people.”
The message, which was still on her page on Tuesday afternoon, encountered enormous criticism.
“Body shaming others is not the move,” noted one Instagram user, echoing many others.
“You need to remove this,” another suggested.
Aguilera, 41, has since unfollowed Spears, her longtime pop rival and former “All New Mickey Mouse Club” castmate, on Instagram.