Fine, I’ll do it.
Freeing Britney Spears is one of those rare moments where the entire internet is an agreement. We kumbaya’d, we protested, we made documentaries. And we won. Britney is free. But has anoybody stopped to wonder if we might have “unleashed” the former Princess of Pop?
Let me start by saying, I think Britney’s father is a monster. Controlling her medication, financials, and overall life while forcing her to perform is gross. He even looks like a villain.
I truly believe that we failed Britney Spears. Her family failed her, the media failed her, and we the public failed her. She was subjected to inappropriate interviews where she was hit on, Justin Timberlake talking about her virginity, and the paparazzi’s dependency on her mental issues. She was clearly robbed of a normal childhood, and I’m glad she’s now in control of her own life. But I pray she’s capable of a being an adult.
Have we forgotten about 2007 Britney? Some of these kids wearing #FreeBritney t-shirts were still in diapers during the star’s year long breakdown. So allow me to break down the breakdown.
Her very public divorce from K-Fed was the genesis of Britney’s spiral. She started partying along with the queens of Hollywood. Her long nights and early morning with Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton ultimately ended with Britney checking into rehab. She wrote a letter to her fans on how she’s looking forward to coming out bigger and better than ever. A self-fulfilling prophecy of epic proportions.
The day after she checked herself out of said rehab is when we get her famous head shave freak out. I understand it was a statement of her being in control of herself. But she reportedly did it herself after the hairdresser refused to buzz her saying, “I just don’t want anybody, anybody touching my head. I don’t want anybody touch my hair. I’m sick of people touching my hair.” Totally understandable, but maybe don’t go to hair salon? The number one place for hair touching.
Britney checked into a rehab two days later. Checked herself out in less than a day and then returned to finish the program after her estranged husband asked for an emergency custody hearing.
Her divorce with Federline was finalized that July and she now had to fight for custody. That August Britney was charged with a hit and run and driving without a license two weeks after a judge mandated random drug tests stating he found her to be “habitual, frequent, and continuous” user of drugs and alcohol.
The custody battle ends in October and Britney is forced to relinquish temporary custody of her two boys to her ex-husband. A few days after it was finalized, her bodyguard, Tony Barretto, accused Britney of child abuse and sent a referral to DCFS on the grounds of “issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use, and safety issues involving the children post-rehab.”
The last straw actually came in early 2008. After a visitation with her two sons, Britney refused to return her children to her ex husband. Federline’s bodyguard allegedly tried to convincing Britney, who he claims was intoxicated, to return custody of the boys. After an hour and a half the police were called. The children were returned and Britney was taken for psychiatric evaluation. That February, she’s put into conservatorship under her father.
We know now that granting dear old dad responsibility was the wrong move. But all of the actions listed above came before the conservatorship. Who was the architect of her behavior? If you want to say that Britney shouldn’t be blamed for her actions back then due to the way she was treated, that’s fine. I actually agree with you. But the fact remains that the person who was in and out of rehab, was called a habitual drug user by a judge, was accused of child abuse, and then involved her children in a custody standoff with the police is now free of supervision.
I believe in second chances. Even fourth and fifth and sixth and seventh chances. I think we can agree to forgive a forty year old Britney Spears for the actions of a twenty-six year old. But if she goes off the deep end again, we can no longer blame her father for her actions, and we’ve accepted that she’s not responsible. So will the FreeBritney movement take accountability? I doubt it.
I hate to say it but how ironic would it be if the #FreeBritney movement is ultimately what lands her in jail. The world is rooting for Britney. I’m rooting for Britney. But after being on lockdown for thirteen years, she deserves to let loose a bit. I just pray that she takes every resource available to successfully transition back into freedom. Because Britney knows best, the only thing the media loves more than a redemption story is a crash and burn. Their cash cow is back. Every move she makes will be under the microscope. Don’t take the bait. Because you know that they’re fucking dying to write that “Oops She Did It Again” headline.
Her very public divorce from K-Fed was the genesis of Britney’s spiral. She started partying along with the queens of Hollywood. Her long nights and early morning with Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton ultimately ended with Britney checking into rehab. She wrote a letter to her fans on how she’s looking forward to coming out bigger and better than ever. A self-fulfilling prophecy of epic proportions.
The day after she checked herself out of said rehab is when we get her famous head shave freak out. I understand it was a statement of her being in control of herself. But she reportedly did it herself after the hairdresser refused to buzz her saying, “I just don’t want anybody, anybody touching my head. I don’t want anybody touch my hair. I’m sick of people touching my hair.” Totally understandable, but maybe don’t go to hair salon? The number one place for hair touching.
Britney checked into a rehab two days later. Checked herself out in less than a day and then returned to finish the program after her estranged husband asked for an emergency custody hearing.
Her divorce with Federline was finalized that July and she now had to fight for custody. That August Britney was charged with a hit and run and driving without a license two weeks after a judge mandated random drug tests stating he found her to be “habitual, frequent, and continuous” user of drugs and alcohol.
The custody battle ends in October and Britney is forced to relinquish temporary custody of her two boys to her ex-husband. A few days after it was finalized, her bodyguard, Tony Barretto, accused Britney of child abuse and sent a referral to DCFS on the grounds of “issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use, and safety issues involving the children post-rehab.”
The last straw actually came in early 2008. After a visitation with her two sons, Britney refused to return her children to her ex husband. Federline’s bodyguard allegedly tried to convincing Britney, who he claims was intoxicated, to return custody of the boys. After an hour and a half the police were called. The children were returned and Britney was taken for psychiatric evaluation. That February, she’s put into conservatorship under her father.
We know now that granting dear old dad responsibility was the wrong move. But all of the actions listed above came before the conservatorship. Who was the architect of her behavior? If you want to say that Britney shouldn’t be blamed for her actions back then due to the way she was treated, that’s fine. I actually agree with you. But the fact remains that the person who was in and out of rehab, was called a habitual drug user by a judge, was accused of child abuse, and then involved her children in a custody standoff with the police is now free of supervision.
I believe in second chances. Even fourth and fifth and sixth and seventh chances. I think we can agree to forgive a forty year old Britney Spears for the actions of a twenty-six year old. But if she goes off the deep end again, we can no longer blame her father for her actions, and we’ve accepted that she’s not responsible. So will the FreeBritney movement take accountability? I doubt it.
I hate to say it but how ironic would it be if the #FreeBritney movement is ultimately what lands her in jail. The world is rooting for Britney. I’m rooting for Britney. But after being on lockdown for thirteen years, she deserves to let loose a bit. I just pray that she takes every resource available to successfully transition back into freedom. Because Britney knows best, the only thing the media loves more than a redemption story is a crash and burn. Their cash cow is back. Every move she makes will be under the microscope. Don’t take the bait. Because you know that they’re fucking dying to write that “Oops She Did It Again” headline.
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