#FreeBritney: The Pop Star Has the Unconditional Support of Her Fans

In 2008, the whole world saw Britney Spears’ mental breakdown. The scene where she shaved her hair completely and later proceed to hit a paparazzi car with an umbrella is considered one of the most iconic moments of pop culture. But for Britney, it was the beginning of an awful time in her life.

She was followed by hundreds of paparazzi constantly, to the point of harassment as she could not do anything without cameras on her. At that moment the general feeling was not of concern about Britney, but it was a mockery of her erratic attitude. It became a meme, and the general public was not concerned for her health.

Bu her inner circle decided to do something. After two failed tries in psychiatric hospitals, Britney was put under a temporary conservatorship petitioned by her father Jamie Spears. It meant she could not make decisions over her money, her career, or her general life as she was considered incapable, so she had a legal guardian who could make them for her. Her team defended the decision on the basis that her mental status was not good enough to make the right decisions, not only concerning her financial and career decisions, but also the people who surrounded her. It was not a temporary measure, as it has been extended till September 2021.

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Since 2009 fans were already criticizing the conservatorship, claiming that Britney should have control over her own career. They always remarked how ironic it was that she could not control her decisions because someone should take care of her mental status, but she was still having a productive career.

Britney could not decide when or how her albums, tours, and contracts were going to be. It meant that even if she did not want to do them, her conservatorship allowed her father and her manager to sign the contracts and make her work. During this time she has released 3 albums, done several tours, and even started a Vegas residency, which was terminated early because she entered a mental facility in 2019. Britney has earned millions of dollars in the past 13 years, but she cannot decide how to use them.

Her team always claimed that Britney was actively involved in the decisions, but the fans were not entirely sure. The general public did not pay attention to the fans until The New York Times released “Framing Britney Spears,” which examined the problematic conservatorship. It brought attention to the situation, but the family assured that it was all a lie and Britney was doing okay.

But now we know it is not true. For the first time in 13 years, Spears had the opportunity to talk publicly about her conservatorship. She spoke about being forced to perform even when she refused, about sudden changes in her medicine to stronger pills which left her in a state of numbness, and about a forced IUD to prevent her from having another child. In these 20 minutes, she showed how her fans were right and she was not happy with the deal, as she even wants to sue her family for all the damage done.

The New York Times reported it is not the first time Britney has tried to get out of the conservatorship, but it is the first one she can make public. Now, the world is waiting to see if she can get out of it, but her lawyer has not presented the official request, being now five days after her hearing. The fans are still pushing online and they will not stop until they see her free. Family might have failed Britney, but she has people rooting for her to finally have her rights, her money, and her life back.