Many fans were surprised to see the 36-year-old mom of two, who usually sports a full face of bold cosmetics, going au naturale. One tweeted: “Christina Aguilera is so beautiful and even more beautiful without all the makeup.” Others coasted over her minimally glammed up face, instead zeroing in on what they perceived to be a dramatically different set of lips.
Amid the performance, the Internet went full-on frenzy when some viewers speculated that the diva plumped her mouth with Botox injections: “Christina Aguilera killed that performance but what happened to her face?” one fan asked. Another adding, “Holy Botox.. when your lips dont move like they should.”
A rep for Aguilera did not respond to a request for comment.
Fans of Aguilera immediately came to the singer’s defense with many arguing that the fixation on her appearance, as opposed to her incomparable vocals, was inappropriate: “You guys need to stop talking about Christina’s looks. That’s so superficial!!” one fan wrote. Another agreed, writing: “Christina didn’t get to where she is by her looks. She got here because of her voice! Stop bashing her!”
The singer’s moving performance won praise across social media, even compelling iconic stars like Cher to tweet: “AND…I Don’t Give a Flying Fk What ANYONE THINKS….. XTINA GAVE IT UP TO A LEGEND WE ALL LOVED & MISS.”
After the AMAs, Aguilera shared a video thanking the Houston family for allowing her to perform the late singer’s hit: “To the AMAs, to Whitney’s beautiful family, thank you so much for this incredible opportunity,” she said. “Thank you so much for making a little girl’s dream come true. I’ve had the time of my life and I hope I did you proud Whitney. Love you forever.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE