Ellen Von Unwerth | "Christina Aguilera: Madame X"

Ellen Von Unwerth excels in portraying dominance|submission with subtlety and sophistication. Von Unwerth’s women are frequently the mistress in charge, in a world of images where women are more often than not, on their knees, bound and silent.

In the June|July 2010 issue of Out, Ellen Von Unwerth makes Christina Aguilera into a gothic, comic Madame X dominant mistress. If this sounds like a contradiction in terms, it is — for a role play world that often takes itself way too seriously. Photos via Frognet.