Britney Spears is a 38 year old woman who has been under the control of a conservatorship for the last 13 years, meaning she cannot vote, drive, control her own finances, get married or have children. The Free Britney movement was formed in 2019, but has really taken off in 2020. Fans have campaigned and attended protests demanding that Britney regains her basic human rights and freedom.
The first part of the PowerPoint shows Britney's early life as a child star, performing on Star Search, working as an understudy in a play, and eventually appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club. She was then propelled into pop stardom in 1998 with the release of her debut single ...Baby, One More Time. Over the years, negative attention from the media, public and paparazzi began to really take its toll, and no doubt contributed to her personal struggles during the 2006-2008 period. I tried to include as much information as possible, and hopefully people who are unfamiliar with the movement will get some insight into it. The second part of the PowerPoint is available.
2. Britney Spears is currently 38 and has been working since she was 8 years old.
She changed the face of the pop industry and broke boundaries for the next
generation of performers. Many singers have cited her as a huge source of
inspiration including Selena Gomez, Normani, Miley Cyrus, Tinashe, Billie Eilish
and countless others.
Britney rose to colossal fame in the early 2000s. From 1998 to 2003 she recorded
album after album, went on tour and appeared in dozens of commercials.
She was often criticised by the media for what she wore and some questioned
whether she was a “good role model” for her young fans.
The media’s reporting of her became particularly negative from 2003 onwards,
hitting its peak around the 2007-2008 period.
After a 5150 hold was placed on Britney in 2008, she was involuntarily entered into
a conservatorship by her father Jamie Spears.
The conservatorship means that Britney cannot get married, vote, drive, and is
unable to spend her money how she chooses.
After her new Vegas show Domination was suddenly cancelled in 2019 fans
became suspicious. After the hosts of a podcast called Britney’s Gram received a
voicemail from an anonymous source, The FreeBritney movement was formed.
The focus of this documentary is the power of the word of mouth on social media,
protesting and the effects of fame. It will also look at Britney’s strength and
perseverance through the trying times in her life.
Britney has shown throughout trying times in her life.
3. Britney Jean Spears was born on 2nd December
1981. She grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana, a very
small town near Mississippi with a population of just
over 2,419 people (2018 census).
Her parents are Jamie Spears and Lynne Spears. She
has an older brother Bryan and a younger sister
Jamie Lynn Spears (best known for Zoey 101).
Britney has spoken about how much she loved
performing when she was younger.
On Oprah in 2002, Lynne revealed she entered
Britney in a pageant when she was just two years old.
She has always denied being a “stage mom”. Britney
has also said before that if anything she was the one
pushing her parents into letting her perform, but it is
near impossible for a child to understand what fame
might entail.
Early Life
4. The Mickey Mouse Club
1993
At the age of 8, Britney auditioned for the Mickey Mouse
Club but was turned down as she was too young.
She went on to work as an understudy for an off-
Broadway play called Ruthless (where she met Natalie
Portman) and did some TV commercial work. She lived
in a small New York apartment with her mother and
younger sister.
She performed on Star Search when she was 10. Her
performance is on YouTube- you can hear how powerful
her voice was at a young age.
She joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club in 1993
alongside Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan
Gosling.
She has described being on the show as “one of the
most special times in my life”.
After the show’s cancellation, Britney was devastated
and retuned to Kentwood where she continued to
perform small gigs, including at a 1996 beauty pageant.
5. …BABY ONE
MORE TIME
Initially, Britney was in talks to join a girl band called Innosense. However, her
manager Larry Rudolph decided to pitch her to record labels as a solo artist.
Britney went on to sign a record deal with Jive Records in 1997.
In October 1998, the video for Britney’s debut single …Baby One More Time was
released. Her debut album sold 25 million copies. Britney was just 16.
Britney’s natural singing voice is deep, but record producers felt that her lower
register was not marketable enough and too similar to competing singer
Christina Aguilera. As a result, the baby voice she is now famous for was created
in the studio. Over time, the voice strained her vocal chords as it is an unnatural
sound, meaning that she would lip sync many of her performances.
The iconic music video for the single was originally supposed to be an animation
but Britney didn’t like the concept.. She thought it should be set in a high school,
and she should wear a school uniform.
Britney became part of an early 2000s pop cult phenomenon which hadn’t been
prevalent in America since Madonna in the 80s.
“I had this idea where we’re in school
and bored out of our minds, and we
have Catholic uniforms on. And I said,
“Why don’t we have knee-highs and
tie the shirts up and give it a little
attitude?”
- Rolling Stone, 1999
6. Marketability
and Global
Appeal
“First came the Britney website, email
address and 800 number, advertised on
several hundred thousand postcards.”
- Rolling Stone, 1999
Britney was successful on a global scale, appearing
in international commercials (including a 1999
Japanese candy commercial). She worked with
Sketchers, Got Milk?, Polaroid, and perhaps most
notably, Pepsi.
There was an extensive amount of Britney merch,
including dolls, phone cases, stationery and lunch
boxes.
7. The Media’s Obsession with Britney’s
Virginity and Sexuality
Britney said at one point she believed in waiting to have sex after
marriage, which led to every journalist asking her questions about
her virginity relentlessly for years. Bizarrely, she was also questioned
about whether or not she had got breast implants.
Britney was sexualised at a young age, and was criticised for what
she wore, said and did constantly. She said many times that she was
just a normal person with flaws, but the media created the narrative
that she was “the good girl”.
Britney’s high school ex-boyfriend Reg Jones did an interview where
he discussed their relationship and was asked if they had sex. It was
such a talking point that whenever she would do a press conference
or interview she would be asked about it. Creepy, considering she
was a teenager being asked by grown adults.
It is possible that Britney was under pressure to promote abstinence
as it was part of this “good girl” image that was being pushed on her
from the beginning of her career. Boy bands and male performers in
the nineties and noughties rarely received the same criticism, as
pointed out by Britney in a 1999 interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6poEVKZ_4
8. It’s never been confirmed, but Britney allegedly cheated
on Justin Timberlake with her choreographer.
This led Justin to release the Cry Me a River video,
featuring a Britney lookalike.
I think this is important to mention because it
contributes to the conversation about how harsh the
media is on women. There was a noticeable negative
shift in the media’s reporting of Britney following the
breakup. Timberlake’s interview with Barbara Walters
also contributed to this.
In the 2008 documentary For the Record Britney talked
about how she was at a loss after their breakup, as
Justin was “…part of the magnitude of what I had
become. So when he was gone, I was like “what am I
supposed to do with myself?” so I just became a real
busy girl. A party girl.”
2002
The Heavily
Publicised Breakup
9. Media Backlash
In an interview Britney said she was ”shocked shitless”
when she saw the Cry Me a River video on TV for the first
time. Justin had phoned her beforehand with the guise of
getting back together but then mentioned that she was
going to be in a video of his that was coming out, but it was
”no big deal”. Britney revealed that she had the power to
say no to the video but thought “Hey it’s your video”.
Justin essentially used Britney as a promotional tool to
send his song up the charts and create buzz around his
upcoming album Justified.
Justin then went on a radio show and bragged about
having sex with Britney and made fun of her movie
Crossroads. He was asked by Howard Stern ”Did you bang
Britney Spears?” to which he replied “Yeah, I did it”.
Someone on Twitter put together a thread of how Justin
used women to further his career in the early to mid
noughties. The 2004 Janet Jackson Superbowl incident is
another example that was blown massively out of
proportion, and Janet was demonised in the media.
10. The Diane Sawyer Interview
2003
Britney said herself in an interview with Diane Sawyer that she
thought the Cry Me A River video had contributed towards the
negative shift in the media’s reporting of her. She reflected on
the breakup as well as her aunt suffering with cancer and
started crying.
Sawyer was very critical of Britney and asked questions which
(in my opinion) were intended to upset her as this would
guarantee the episode would get higher ratings. She also
suggested she was a shopping addict, criticised what she wore
on photoshoots and at the VMAs, and overall suggested she
was setting a bad example for her young fans.
Furthermore, she defended comments made by the then First
Lady of Maryland Kendel Ehrlich’s at a domestic violence
forum: “If I had the opportunity to shoot Britney Spears I think
I would” at a domestic violence forum (the irony of wishing
death on a woman at a domestic violence forum).
11. THE 2003 VMAS
Britney and Christina performed with Madonna at the 2003
VMAs. The performance went down in history as one of the
most memorable VMAs moments of all time.
Much to the audience’s shock and amazement, Madonna,
dressed like a groom, kissed Britney. The camera then cut to
Justin Timberlake to see his reaction, which took screen
time from the Christina and Madonna kiss.
In 2018, Christina discussed feeling left out: “It was weird.
And you know why they cut away for it? They cut to get
Justin’s reaction.” she added: “I definitely saw the
newspaper the next day and it was like, ‘Oh, well I guess I
got left out of that one’.”
The performance stirred up controversy because
conservatives considered it overly ”provocative” and casual
homophobia was still common in the early 2000s. To this
day, LGBTQIA+ fans remember it as a defining moment in
pop culture.
12. Britney made headlines after marrying her childhood friend Jason
Alexander in a Las Vegas chapel.
The tabloid press had a field day. This event contributed to the narrative
that Britney was acting ”wild” and “out of control”.
It seemed that Britney was regaining some control in her life after being
micromanaged for so long.
The marriage was annulled after 55 hours.
Britney Gets Married in Vegas
January 2004
13. Marriage to Kevin Federline
September 2004
Britney got married again later that year to a backup
dancer, Kevin Federline (or ‘K Fed’ as he became
known) after three months of dating.
Britney documented bits of their relationship on her
reality TV show Britney and Kevin: Chaotic which
only added to the criticism of her. Britney said in
later years that it was “one of the worst things” she
had done in her career.
They had two children, Sean Preston (born 14th
September 2005) and Jayden James (born 12th
September 2006).
14. BRITNEY AND
KEVIN: CHAOTIC
(2005)
Britney was likely inspired by Jessica Simpson and
Nick Lachey to create a reality show of her own.
She had previously said in a 2003 CNN interview
she enjoyed watching their show Newlyweds.
The show was mostly filmed by Britney on a
handheld video camera (this was pre-vlogging). It
gave an insight into her life on tour and her
relationship with Kevin.
Federline had previously had a relationship with
Shar Jackson, whom he had a child with and
another one on the way.
Critics of the show thought Britney and Kevin came
across as a “rednecks” and “trashy”. Variety called
it “A visual assault of nauseating camera angles,
likely to upset even the most desensitized TV
viewer.”
15. THE ALBUM THAT WAS
NEVER RELEASED
In 2005 Britney went to a radio station and asked them
to play a song called Mona Lisa.
She said it was going to be on an upcoming album that
would probably be called Original Doll. However, the
album never came out and a Jive label representative
denied its existence. A track called Rebellion was
leaked. The lyrics of the song seem to be exposing the
dark side of the music industry with the lyrics “Be wary
of others, the ones closest to you. The poison they feed
you and the voodoo that they do, but in rebellion
there’s a sparkle of truth”.
Britney seemed to be attempting to gain back some
creative control during this time. She released videos
for the singles My Prerogative, Someday (I Will
Understand) and Do Somethin’.
A fan’s visualisation of what the album
artwork could have looked like
16. The Sad Dateline Interview
Aired June 2006
Britney did an interview when she was pregnant with her second
child attempting to get the record straight about her marriage.
There were also a lot of negative headlines about Britney’s
parenting skills during this time, as she was photographed driving
with her baby on her lap (in order to get away from paparazzi).
Britney said the paparazzi were taking “cheap shots”.
The interviewer Matt Lauer (who has since been exposed for being
a creep) asked questions in a pseudo concerned manner to make
her upset. For example, “What do you think it’ll take for the
paparazzi to leave you alone?” at which point Britney said “I don’t
know, I don’t know” and started crying.
I think archive footage from these interviews is key to include
because it provides the audience with a path towards what
eventually happens in 2007 post-divorce and the complications
with her management and custody of her children. As upsetting as
it all is, it’s an important part of her story.
“We need our space and we
need privacy…those are things
you have to have as a human”
17. 2006
September
Britney and Kevin’s second child Jayden James Federline was born.
November
Britney and Kevin get a divorce.
Britney is seen out partying with Paris Hilton.
Unfortunately, everything seems to go downhill from 2006 onwards.
In her 2008 documentary For the Record, she spoke about after her breakup with Justin, saying she was “devastated” but
“handled it a lot better than the one with Kevin”. Completely understandable, as she was married to Kevin and had two children
with him.
18. February 6th 2007
Britney went to a hair salon and told the owner her extensions were too tight
and she wanted to shave her hair off. The owner claims she told Britney she
might feel differently about it the next day and they should talk about it, but then
went away to answer a phone call. When she returned Britney was halfway
through shaving her hair off. Apparently when asked why she did it, she
responded “I’m tired of everybody touching me. I don’t want anybody touching
me.”
Britney spoke about the incident again in For the Record, stating that the head
shaving was a way of “shedding things that had happened”. The interviewer
asked her why she didn’t tell anyone that was what she was doing and she said
she didn’t feel it was anyone’s business.
After leaving the salon, she went to get a tattoo. There is paparazzi footage of
people laughing at Britney. Someone exclaims “She’s completely bald!” in
disbelief. She then hit a paparazzo and a car with an umbrella.
The media and public were very unsympathetic and cruel towards her during
this time. Society had a poor understanding of mental health issues. We’ve
come a long way since 2007.
The day after shaving her head, Britney’s team checked her into rehab.
19. THE 2007 VMAS
AND THE OVERWHELMING
CRITICISM
Just six months after shaving her head, Britney opened the
2007 VMAs. Despite the fact she appeared to be heavily
medicated during this performance, she received a huge
amount of criticism for the way her body looked (she had
recently had two children and by today’s body positive
standards she wouldn’t be considered overweight, and it
wouldn’t be an issue even if she was).
People also cruelly joked about her wearing a
wig/extensions after shaving her head earlier in the year.
Many public figures and news outlets made fun of her,
instead of making any attempt to understand what she was
going through. Sarah Silverman made a joke about her
children being “The most adorable mistakes you’ve ever
seen”. Society is far more body positive and accepting now
than it was back then, and more understanding of mental
health.
Perez Hilton was extremely harsh, stating “She blew it”
“Everyone knows Britney lip-syncs but that’s because she
dances so much. She barely even danced in this. It was
painful. It was embarrassing. And I loved it!” Online gossip
websites were becoming much more mainstream at this
point, so Perez undoubtedly capitalised on this moment, as
did traditional media outlets (it was all over TV news,
tabloid newspapers and magazines).
September 2007
20. IT’S BRITNEY BITCH
BLACKOUT IS
RELEASED
October 2007
Despite Britney’s public struggles, she released her
most critically acclaimed album to date, Blackout.
Co-produced by Danja and Britney, Blackout is an
edgy, experimental album which revolutionised pop
music.
It includes songs such as Gimme More, Piece of Me,
Break the Ice, Heaven on Earth, Why Should I Be Sad
and Radar.
The album was praised by critics.
(Part 2 of the SlideShow is Available)
It's a bold, exciting album: the
question is whether anyone will be
able to hear its contents over the
deafening roar of tittle-tattle”
- Alexis Petridis, The Guardian
