Christina Aguilera is proud of her booty

Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera is proud to be bootylicious. While shooting the music video for her song "Your Body" recently, she had on an outrageous getup, which included a pink wig, sky-high stripper stilettos, and enough rings to accessorize you and all your friends. But it was the dress that was most eye-catching. We noted that the mesh-laden mini was "literally bursting at the seams" when we first saw the photos.

As you can tell, the 31-year-old pop star loves her curves — and in a new interview with Lucky magazine she talks about her body, which has evolved from the earlier days in her successful career. (Remember when she used to dress her stick thin frame in chaps and underwear that said "Dirrty" on the bum?) "Actually, the challenge I've always had is being too thin, so I love that now I have a booty, and obviously I love showing my cleavage," she confesses. The singer also encourages fellow curvy girls to flaunt their figures. "Hey, if you can work it and you can own it, that confidence is going to shine through."

Aguilera's eclectic sense of style is definitely on display when she sits in her spinny chair on NBC's reality series "The Voice." "I have always loved dressing up, being theatrical," she says of her over-the-top looks. So what fashion item couldn't she live without? That would be Christian Louboutin heels, which she calls the "sexiest shoes," and notes, "As the years go by, his heels get taller and taller." She also reveals the secret to her perfect red pout: Terry Baume de Rose. "This treatment helps my signature red lip to be smooth and flawless," she shares.

The divorced singer, who is now dating musician Matthew Rutler, is working on a new still-untitled album — her first since 2010's Bionic. She recently said it will reflect, "everything I've experienced up until this point. .. I've been through a lot since the release of my last album, being on ['The Voice'], having had a divorce. This is all sort of a free rebirth for me." She elaborates in Lucky, noting, "If you love 'Fighter,'" which is her 2003 song, "you're going to love my new album. As a [woman in my 30s], I've been uncovering my independence, and it's been really fun to explore in the new songs."

Aguilera, who is mom to 4-year-old Max, is glad that her days as a rising star are behind her because she felt like she was being controlled and a certain image was being forced upon her."When you're young, it's so easy to get bull-dozed," she says. "There were these two ladies who worked at the record label who always wanted to come to fittings and dress me up like a Barbie doll. It was disgusting." Fortunately, releasing her album Stripped — which included "Beautiful," one of her most popular songs of all time, as well as the aforementioned "Dirrty"— changed all that. Talking about the success of that album, she recalls, "I was 21 and fearless. It was a really great turning point for me to be the artist I'd always wanted to be."

And now that Aguilera is the artist she always wanted to be, she enjoys helping aspiring singers on "The Voice," which will return for a second season on September 10. "It's a big responsibility to help someone express themselves as an artist," she says. "I take it seriously."

Listen to Christina Aguilera on iHeartRadio