At the height of Britney Spears’ career in the late 1990s to the early 2000s, no one would suspect that she was not in control of her own life. The popstar had everything any living being could ask for–fame, money, global endorsements, and legions of people who adore her.
But behind the glitz and glamor, the Princess of Pop, to this day, remains chained to a court-sanctioned conservatorship, where 39-year-old Spears is not in control of the fortune she earned as a performer.
For starters, a conservatorship is a legal concept in the United States wherein a judge appoints a legal guardian or protector who will manage the financial affairs or daily life of the conservatee due to the latter’s physical or mental limitations. The appointed conservator has the power to collect all the conservatee’s assets, make financial transactions, invest in things as big as properties and whatnot.
In 2012, the then 26-year-old Spears had been reported to have what the world will call to be a highly-publicized “breakdown” that eventually led to her hospitalization and rehab. This prompted the latter to be forced to enter into a conservatorship helmed by her father, Jamie Spears. Now 39, the superstar is still trapped in the decade-long agreement and it is not sitting well with her fans that then spawned the ongoing #FREEBRITNEY campaign.
The People vs. Jamie Spears
As Spears’ legal battle to reclaim control of her finances and career from her father continues, the singer’s attorney Samuel D Ingham III publicized her statement in Court last November 2020. According to Ingam, Spears, a “high functioning conservatee,” refuses to perform on stage given the current conditions.
“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Ingham told Judge Brenda Penny of the Los Angeles Superior Court, according to lifestyle magazine Variety. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
Spears’ brother, Bryan Spears. also did a rare interview on Drew Plotkin’s podcast ‘As NOT Seen on TV,’ revealing that the pop star wants to be free from the Conservatorship agreement.
“She’s been in this thing for quite some time now. Obviously, there was a need for it in the beginning. Now they’ve made some changes, and all we can do is hope for the best,” said Spears’ brother. “She’s always wanted to get out of it. It’s very frustrating to have—whether someone’s coming in peace to help or coming in with an attitude, having someone constantly tell you to do something has got to be frustrating. She’s wanted to get out of it for quite some time.”
Misogynistic Media
Spears’ infamous breakdown in 2012 could have been a result of the repeated abuse inflicted and aggravated by the exploitative tabloid media industry.
Spears, in many ways, has long been sexualized by the media, as young as 10, the star had already been receiving questions about her ‘virginity,’ relationships, and her body. Celebrity tabloid photographers have also begun getting more aggressive around 2003 when Spears and her four-year partner Justin Timberlake broke up.
In various reports, it shows how Timberlake has allegedly “weaponized” tabloid and social media narratives launched against the former flame, dropping hints that the singer was unfaithful to him, even going as far as putting a Britney Spears look-alike in one of his music videos about infidelity.
In Spears’ interview with Diane Sawyer, she was asked why she broke Timberlake’s heart. “He has gone on television and pretty much said you broke his heart,” Sawyer said. “You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering — what did you do?” The host went on to tell Spears that her sexualized image had “disappointed a lot of mothers in this country.”
This is not new and still continues to date, as through the years, we have seen how media perpetuates the hate against successful female celebrities (think the exaggerated issues linked to Madonna, Lady Gaga, Jameela Jamill, Miley Cyrus)–the ‘juicy’ stories always get more traffic and more traffic means more profit.
‘Framing Britney Spears’
Framing Britney Spears, a new FX documentary released on Hulu as part of the network’s ongoing The New York Times Presents series, delves in deeper on the realities of Spears’ journey, and how she has become the “punching bag” of the media.
According to The New York Times, the documentary features interviews with key insiders, including:
- a lifelong family friend who traveled alongside Spears for much of her career;
- a marketing executive who originally created Spears’s image;
- a lawyer currently working on the conservatorship;
- and the lawyer Spears tried to hire in the early days of the conservatorship to challenge her father.
You can watch The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears trailer: