By Madelyn Curtis

Dominating the charts in 1998 with her newest single “…Baby One More Time,” Britney Spears immediately became America’s favorite superstar when she arrived on the music scene. Young girls across the nation idolized Spears. They wanted to look, act, and dress like her. The media was obsessed with her image and how she portrayed herself as innocent and scandalous, somehow at the same time. 

The unending attention soon proved to be too much for Spears, who was only 17 years old when her first album, also titled Baby One More Time, was released. Her bubbly, positive persona spiraled into something very worrying and confusing, and Spears became a cautionary tale for the up-and-coming stars of Hollywood. 

Spears started her career in the entertainment industry on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, along with many other famous stars, such as Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Christina Aguilera. She started on the show when she was only 11 years old, so her fans have watched her grow up. Some people worried about how other stars who had been in the industry for so long would be affected by the prying media attention.

A CD case of Spears’ 1999 album …Baby One More Time. Photo credit: Drümmkopf.

But how did America’s beloved pop star lose control of her life? And how does she still have the attention of young people today?

I recently watched the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears and was extremely intrigued by Spears’ saddening story. Prior to my viewing, I had heard parts about Spears’ rollercoaster life in the early 2000s and seen pictures of the infamous matching all-denim outfits with then-boyfriend Timberlake. But most recently, I had seen the social media movement of “Free Britney,” which refers to her legal status and the conservatorship over her life and affairs.

A conservatorship is defined as “an agreement or order under which one person or entity controls the personal and financial affairs of another” because they are “considered legally incapable of managing their own affairs,” according to Dictionary.com. Spears was first put under a conservatorship in 2008 following her very public downfall, when she lost the custody of her children and her father, Jamie Spears, was put in charge of her affairs.

Why would people in younger generations today be so interested in Spears’ conservatorship? The answer lies in social media. Spears posts eccentric pictures with cryptic captions to her Instagram, often confusing her fans. Comedians Tess Barker and Barbara Gray even went so far as to start a podcast named “Britney’s Gram” that analyzes her posts. This led to theories that say she is attempting to send coded messages asking for help and for a way out of her conservatorship. Barker and Gray analyze her captions for her pictures, which sometimes include cryptic inspirational quotes, and some fans feel as though they apply to Spears’ life. Spears once captioned a photo as Barker and Gray coined the terminology “Free Britney” for the movement and started an official campaign, which inspired the New York Times to look further into the story.

Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi.

The New York Times documentary chronicles Spears’ life, starting from her childhood years in Louisiana, and then when she moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. It then explains her rise to stardom. 

The center point of the documentary was how the media and the paparazzi affected Spears’ life. From the beginning of her career, newspapers, entertainment magazines, websites, and talk shows discussed how she acted too young or too old for her age. The celebrity media criticized what she wore for being too provocative and claimed she was a negative influence on young girls. Reporters focused so much on who she was dating, her breakups, and her love life, and the attention was rarely ever on the music she was making. Fans felt like they deserved to know her relationship status and all of the details, so the paparazzi went to great lengths to attain that information.

I watched Framing Britney Spears with my parents, and my mom Kelly Curtis said she very clearly remembers Spears constantly being in the news outlets and gossip magazines in the 1990s and early 2000s. “I felt like everyday there was a new story about her,” said my mom. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on Spears, and that was ultimately the catalyst for her public downfall. She felt so scrutinized and never felt like she could just be herself. 

In 2004, Spears got married to aspiring rapper Kevin Federline. Spears’ family cites this decision as an unofficial beginning to her downfall. Only a little over a year after their wedding, Spears had her first child, Sean. The media was quick to jump on her about her parenting skills, like how she was holding her baby, and they questioned if she was fit to be a mother. The paparazzi bombarded her in public and put her in danger by ambushing her car and attacking her with questions whenever she was outside.

Photo credit: Glenn Francis.

Upper School English teacher and Match advisor Vlastik Svab said “I think it’s a reflection of our media-obsessed culture,” talking about the treatment of Spears. He also mentioned that this type of behavior from reporters continues today, but it is a little different due to new social media. “It occurs to me now that celebrities do the same with social media, but they get to control the narrative on their own terms,” Svab said.

Spears continued to have more altercations with the paparazzi. She attacked reporters’ cars and yelled when asked questions. The media watched her become more and more seemingly unhinged before finally being checked into mental health centers several times. Her actions inspired her family and management to pursue a conservatorship, which they argued was for her safety. But after about a three-month break from January 2008 to March 2008, Spears was back in action: releasing albums, going on tour, and returning her life as a worldwide popstar. She has continued to be very successful; Spears even had a Las Vegas residency from 2013 to 2017. Her net worth is estimated to be around $60 million. Yet, the conservatorship ship is still in place.

One of the most debated controversies lies in having Spears’ father Jamie as the conservator. Jamie Spears did not play a central role in Britney’s life, especially when she was a child. As he seemed to only care about Britney when he could take advantage of her and profit off her earnings, the “Free Britney” movement thinks this is extremely unjust. Eliza Stone (‘22) agrees, saying that “if [Jamie Spears] thinks she is really that mentally unwell, why is he allowing her to continue to go on huge tours and residencies in Las Vegas?” She, along with other “Free Britney” supporters, believes it is very clear that Spears’ father does not have her best interest in mind, but only wants to make money off of her.

Spears was so young when she started her career, and the documentary really highlighted how she was being taken advantage of by her management and father. My dad Tony Curtis said he “feels bad” for what Spears had to go through with the media at such a young age. “I remember watching the paparazzi harass her in the early 2000s, so I liked how the documentary addressed how that was not acceptable,” he said.

The use of social media apps, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok, has spread the “Free Britney” movement even more. People in younger generations are learning about Spears’ story, and they feel inspired to advocate for her. The public has once again become Britney Spears-obsessed, but this time the media is looking out for her safety.

Featured photo credit: Pikara Magazine.