Written by: Jaidyn Gayman, Staff Writer
#FreeBritney: – Britney Spears has been in the public eye since the 1990s, and has yet to step out.
From her most iconic moments of the ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ music video, to the controversial double denim outfit with J.T, it is easy to say that Britney always knows how to make a statement. We’ve also seen her more personal side through her children, marriage, and even rehab. The world was even more shocked to be exposed to multiple highly publicized mental breakdowns. More recently the #FreeBritney movement has become a head spotlight across all media platforms. The real question is, what does Britney need to be freed from, and how are we just now noticing?
Due to her conservatorship, which began in 2008 after she was faced with a public mental health crisis, her career has been in the hands of her legal guardians. Meaning, that it is suspected that Britney has zero control over her life. From spending her money, her health, or even when she can see her kids, all of these choices are left up to her father, Jamie Spears. Some say that the conservatorship did have a good purpose at first to help Spears from making faulty financial and business decisions, or even to steer her away from potentially toxic people and that those who fight against it, don’t seriously understand or grasp the concept of the seriousness of her mental health. After some digging, it is easy to see how this conservatorship is a bit questionable. How was she deemed too mentally unstable to have any control over her life, but then just a few months later deemed healthy enough to go back in the public eye and go on tour? Throughout the next decade, Britney made multiple albums, was a judge on The X Factor, and even had a 4-year residency in Vegas. All the while, Britney was still being deemed “greatly disabled,” and somehow managed to be a world-famous superstar.
The #FreeBritney movement started in 2009, and some shocking news was let known to the public in 2019. Andrew Gallery, her former photographer published a handwritten note confirming that she was deceived and set up so that people could take total control of her life, divorce, and kids. Britney had asked a judge to reduce restraints and take her father off of the conservatorship but was ultimately denied. Celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Taryn Manning have publicly voiced their thoughts and concerns on the matter, including Britney’s own mother liking comments in support of the movement. Over time, fans, and supporters have become increasingly more concerned with the whole situation and her well-being, and have even taken to the streets to protest outside the courtroom. In February of 2021, NYT sparked a renewed interest in the movement as the legal fight over Britney’s freedom played out in court. On August 12, news broke out that Jamie Spears would be stepping down from the conservatorship. Britney’s story is a sad one, to say the least. It has taken way too long to notice, but we can hope this is a start to Britney’s new independence and brighter future.