Claim: "Beautiful" is about self-empowerment.

`` Beautiful '' is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her fourth studio album , Stripped -LRB- 2002 -RRB- . It was released as the album 's second single on November 16 , 2002 . A pop and R&B ballad , `` Beautiful '' was written and produced by Linda Perry . Lyrically , it discusses inner beauty , as well as self-esteem and insecurity issues . Aguilera commented that she put `` her heart and her soul '' into the track , which she felt represented the theme of Stripped . The song was later re-recorded in an electronic style for her first greatest hits album Keeps Gettin ' Better : A Decade of Hits -LRB- 2008 -RRB- .   Upon its release , `` Beautiful '' received universal acclaim from music critics , who have ranked it among Aguilera 's strongest material . It won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2004 ceremony . `` Beautiful '' was also a commercial success , topping the charts in Australia , Belgium , Canada , Ireland , New Zealand and the United Kingdom . The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States , where it was certified Gold for 500,000 units shipped . It was kept from the number one spot by `` Bump , Bump , Bump '' by B2K featuring P. Diddy .   `` Beautiful '' has been widely embraced as an anthem by the LGBT community for its message of self-empowerment and inner beauty . An accompanying music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund , and earned Aguilera a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people . In 2011 , UK LGBT rights organization Stonewall named `` Beautiful '' the most empowering song of the previous decade for gay , lesbian , and bisexual people . In 2009 , Rolling Stone and VH1 listed it as one of the best songs of the 2000s -LRB- decade -RRB- . The song is widely recognized as one of Aguilera 's signature songs and has been covered on numerous occasions and featured on several television shows .