In the last few moments of The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears, we see a video from Spears’ Instagram that features her holding a delicate pink rose against a backdrop of soapy bathwater, her face hidden from the camera. She teases “See the pink rose? See how beautiful that is? Watch.” Britney then drops the rose into the water and it immediately begins to break down. She crinkles up the rose further in her hand, bending and twisting it into a sticky magenta mass. “It’s just soap,” she declares. “That’s all it is. It’s just soap.”
Perhaps Britney is using the soap as a metaphor for herself. To the outside world, Britney was once seen as an untouchable beacon of beauty, talent, and personality, but on the inside, she’s just as fragile as any other human being. She’s as malleable as that clump of soap, broken down and mashed up by the media and society until she completely dissolves.
Over the course of her turbulent 23-year-career, Britney has consistently been molded by others. Between her team at Jive Records marketing her as the ideal teen dream to her conservators (father Jamie Spears and up until 2019 lawyer Andrew Wallet) literally framing her as “incompetent,” Britney has never been in control of her image. Framing Britney Spears presents an examination of how the star went from pop princess to someone deemed “unfit.” The special re-contextualizes Britney’s 2007 breakdown with the stressors that led to her infamous head shave: postpartum depression, an incredibly public divorce, and losing custody of her children. Framing Britney Spears shows us someone who is being preyed upon as opposed to being a punchline. Her conservatorship is presented as more parasitic than parental. Most importantly, it reminds us why we fell in love with Britney in the first place.
A few minutes in, the Merriam-Webster definition of a conservator flashes on screen: “someone appointed to protect the interests of an incompetent.” This legal arrangement is typically used for the elderly, yet 39-year-old Britney has been under conservatorship of her father since 2008. Her conservator controls who can visit, has access to all her medical records, can make any type of deal on Britney’s behalf, and, most alarmingly, has complete control over her finances. Britney’s current conservator, father Jamie Spears, was quite absent during Britney’s adolescence before the money came in. Once claiming “My daughter’s gonna be so rich she’s gonna buy me a boat,” Jamie struggled with alcoholism and money, even at one point filing for bankruptcy. Further, in 2018, right before Britney was to begin her “Domination” Las Vegas residency, then-co-conservator Andrew Wallet petitioned for a raise because the “conservatee” (Britney) was involved with “increased business activities.” Jamie’s previous financial issues coupled with Wallet’s actions make their possible motives for maintaining their control over Britney difficult to ignore. Financial gain completely contradicts a conservatorship’s point - it's meant to protect, not to profit.
In 2018, fans began to pick up on Britney’s stress. After a botched announcement, Spears cancelled her “Domination” residency weeks before it was to begin. Britney then suddenly disappeared from social media. “Britney’s Gram,” a podcast obsessed with Spears’ Instagram page, was particularly worried by her absence. The podcast received an anonymous voicemail that Britney had been checked into a mental health facility not on her own terms. Thus, #FreeBritney was born. Originating as a battle cry to release Britney from being held at a mental health facility against her will, the phrase has subsequently evolved into a larger global movement to support Britney’s liberation from her conservatorship.
In spite of the mistreatment she suffers, Britney has always held on to one thing - her sweetness. Framing Britney Spears uses archival footage, social media posts, and early interviews to remind viewers of why we love Britney in the first place: her southern charm, her infectious laugh, and her ability to be both the most confident yet humble person in the room. Felicia Culotta, Britney’s old assistant, tells a story of how Britney converted $10,000 into $100 bills and drove around her sleepy hometown of Kentwood, LA to give out money to anyone she came across. Britney was aspirational yet oddly relatable - she was like your best friend’s cool older sister. She made herself as accessible as possible, but as her star rose, that accessibility became her biggest downfall.
Because Britney opened up her world to us so much, she was vilified by the media. She was either too sexy, too innocent, or the “whore” who “cheated” on “sweet” Justin Timberlake (his side was taken almost immediately after their break-up, not unlike the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Nipplegate fiasco). Around 2005, the witch hunt against Britney escalated. A staple of the 24-hour tabloid cycle, Britney was covered for all the wrong reasons. As New York Times Critic At Large Wesley Morris observes, “there was too much money to be made off her suffering.” Britney was no longer the pop princess but a bad mother, unrelatable and unhinged. The world never heard Britney’s side of the story; we never witnessed how often Britney was hounded by paparazzi at her every move - we only saw the aftermath tabloid picture of an exhausted fallen star.
Finally, Britney is beginning to write her own narrative on her own terms. She posts whatever she wants on her social media accounts, which gives us an inside look into her world from her perspective. Her sweetness never left, and it’s apparent in each of her posts from painting on her balcony to spending time with her boys. Instead of being pigeon-holed as “crazy,” Britney appears more as a human with imperfections, and her fans embrace and empathize with her mental health struggles. This time, it’s not Britney as the cool big sister protecting us - it’s us needing to protect her.
In her ongoing legal battle, Britney has made strides. The judge on her case recently allowed her to name a fiduciary as her co-conservator, putting a financial professional in place who is there in her best interest. This is a big step, however Jamie Spears is still a co-conservator, and thus has control over Britney’s dealings (the case for her liberation will be revisited in court). Britney’s lawyer has stated that she is “scared of her father” and “will not perform until she is out of her conservatorship,” urging fans to help Britney in her fight even more. In order to have new music, new concerts, and most importantly, a happy Britney, there’s only one thing left to do - #FreeBritney, bitch.
Comentários