20 Jul 2021

Chris Crocker did not miss when he said “leave Britney alone!” - we should have listened to him.

13 years after her father took the role as an emergency “temporary conservator” in 2008, Britney Spears has not been in control of her life and fortune. With her conservatorship battle still ongoing, it’s more important now than ever to talk about what Britney has been through over the last decade and the rest.

 

Her career, personal life and the breakdown

From the time she made it into the music industry with her first album at 16-years-old, just like any other young pop star, she’s been manufactured to fit a certain image. She had to change her sound to that baby voice she’s well-known for and take whatever her record label was giving her. Britney had no creative freedom and no input into her music.

From going official with ex Justin Timberlake in 1999, to Justin insinuating in ‘Cry Me A River’ that Britney cheated on him, to that intrusive Diane Sawyer interview, sparked the start of Britney’s most publicised breakdowns.

Famously shaving her head to hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella (we don’t incite violence but the pap probably deserved that), to losing custody of her kids - it was clear that she was spiraling due to being under the spotlight and being publicly scrutinised, which then lead to her conservatorship. I’m sorry but how is anybody supposed to cope under these circumstances!?

What is a conservatorship?

If you’re not too sure what a conservatorship is - it’s normally granted for those who are incapable of making decisions, such as people with dementia. It was quite controversial with people thinking she was too young and productive to have a conservatorship but it was granted to her father to control her health, business opportunities and visitors and her lawyer to take control of her financial assets. All of her financial decisions were made public.

 

Where the #FreeBritney movement ignited

Britney took a step back from her career to check into a mental-health facility, igniting the #FreeBritney movement. Since then, Britney has been pleading with the judge to end her conservatorship.

Coming off the back of that were those videos of her dancing, telling us what her favourite Disney movie is and the rest, when all her fans just wanted to know if she was okay.

In June 2021, the New York Times obtained court documents revealing that Britney opposed the conservatorship back in 2016 - way before the public found out.

The public court hearing

On June 23, 2021 - Britney officially asked the court to end her conservatorship in her most public statement to date - bringing heartbreaking revelations to the surface:

  • “If I didn’t do any of my meetings and work from eight to six at night, which is 10 hours a day, seven days a week, no days off, I wouldn’t be able to see my kids or my boyfriend. I never had a say in my schedule; they always told me I had to do this.”
  • “After I’ve lied and told the whole world “I’m OK, and I’m happy.” It’s a lie.”
    “I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized... But now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane, and I’m depressed. I cry every day.”
  • “It’s been a long time since I’ve owned my money, and it’s my wish and my dream for all of this to end.”
  • “I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby. I have a ID [IUD] inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant.”
  • “I deserve to have a life. I’ve worked my whole life.”

Why we care

Britney has been subject to misogyny throughout her life and the people who were responsible for it, benefited from it. This case is the epitome of how women fall victim to being controlled in the music industry and by men, with no power and opinion for the direction of their own career. 

The #FreeBritney movement has been incredibly powerful across social media, with its public outrage growing and with the clear message to end the exploitation of conservatorship and people being abused by a system that’s already broken.

We stand with you, Britney!

 

And yes, she did just use the #FreeBritney hashtag.