#FreeBritney: A Look Inside The Movement
If I had one word to describe this situation, it would be toxic.
by CAROLINE STEVENSON ★ MARCH 8, 2021
If you’ve been on Insta or TikTok in the past month and you don’t live under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly come across the now viral hashtag concerning one of the world’s most iconic pop stars—#FreeBritney. Following the release of the Hulu documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” by the New York Times, we’ve all been left to contemplate the ever-looming question: “Is Britney Spears OK?”
While this hashtag has become seemingly apparent on nearly every human being's timeline for the past month, the fight for Britney Spears’ freedom began nearly 13 years ago, upon the conservatorship declared by her father, Jamie Spears.
In the 1990s, Britney Spears went from a small-town girl from Mississippi to a household name, capturing the public eye for her innocent, yet sometimes scandalous look, epitomizing what came to be known as 2000s culture.
Spears soon ran into her first worldwide controversy, following her split from singer Justin Timberlake. Timberlake used this opportunity to boost his solo career, particularly in his music video “Cry Me A River,” in which a blonde woman (suspiciously resemblant to Spears) is seen walking into a shower, while Timberlake plays part of a suspected sex-tape on the TV for her to watch with jealousy. Spears was soon bashed with derogatory names—whore, slut, cheater, you know, girl stuff—while Timberlake's solo career SOARED (which also occurred in 2004 with “Nipplegate” at Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in a years-long controversy with Janet Jackson).
“Britney Spears Shaved Her F&*%Ing Head!!! (TMZ).” “Britney Spears Goes Bald (KLTV.COM).” In 2008, the world was shocked with headlines and news stories, anxiously waiting to witness the next installment of Spears seemingly “losing her mind” after shaving her head and attacking the car of paparazzi cameraman Daniel Ramos. For years, Spears was the butt of all jokes and the center of hundreds of cruel and distasteful memes. Millions questioned if the once-known queen of pop had “gone off the deep end,” even questioning her drug and alcohol use.
The 26-year-old was soon placed under a conservatorship by her father, surrendering all of her personal and financial affairs to him with the assumption that she was too unstable to maintain them herself. The world looked on as Spears seemingly “bounced back,” releasing her hit album “Circus,” appearing on “How I Met Your Mother,” and even going on a world tour shortly after.
With the happiness of her return came the now 13-year-old question: What the hell is going on with Britney Spears? In more recent years, it's as though the only glimpse society has into the pop stars’ life is through seemingly cryptic Instagram videos and captions rather than watching her on the big stage. In 2019, we finally got answers to some of our big questions following an “emergency episode” of the podcast “Britney’s Gram,” during which hosts Tess Barker and Barbara Gray received an anonymous tip from a paralegal on the case. She disclosed that Spears was indeed being forced to do things against her will, such as cancelling her Domination show and hinting that she indeed needs help. From there on, the hashtag fervently gained momentum and was thrown into the headlines once again by the now viral Hulu documentary.
So you may be wondering... what now? While it seems as though the best we can do is continue to share #FreeBritney and fight for her freedom, we also owe Queen Brit an apology. For bashing her and her relationship status. For being so quick to call her crazy, rather than acknowledge her underlying mental health problems. And most of all, for expecting perfection from a young girl in such a demanding environment.
Cover photo credit: LA Times