@Topman..., I have to agree. While I don't think Christina directly 'copied' Gaga per se I do think the bulk of visual themes chosen for Bionic were unhelpfully brash and also not particularly fresh in light of what was already making the rounds.

On a side note but still relevant, I think Christina's tendency to re-create herself in Madonna's image constantly does more harm to her credibility than she realises. She might call it 'homage' but everyone inc. myself just sees it as a lack of original inspiration. It wouldn't bother me if she didn't have the tools to successfully set herself apart, it's lazy and ill-judged.

Madonna will always be considered the 'Queen of Pop' BUT she'll never be a lauded vocalist. Christina's reluctance to let her VOICE do the talking ahead of gimmicks really distracts from what would go toward establishing her as her own artist in the public's eyes..., B2B might not have sold as well as Stripped but the prevailing reason she was so respected afterward was because while Madonna might play 'retro' dress-up, Christina has the voice to actually deliver the material with authenticity passed the costumes, thus bringing a credibility to that kind of 're-invention' that a Madonna-type can't. In light of her choices for NMT I feel like even she failed to realise that fact..., or simply couldn't resist her exhibitionnist urges as the release date neared.

All that aside, the climate was just not right for the aggressive sexuality of the NMT video and the Bionic album sleeve images..., it just wasn't needed. The toned down look above is what I had hoped she would go for with the Bionic era as it immediately differentiates her from what everyone else is doing..., going in a more organic direction from the start of the project would've made Bionic a more intriguing proposition from the jump. The girl needs to get out of her own freakin' way more often.