What is #FreeBritney
On June 30, 2021, Britney Spears was denied by a judge to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed from his position as the conservator of her estate. The pop icon’s ongoing battle to end the conservatorship, that has been going on since 2008, and get her freedom has sparked the interests of millions, starting the #FreeBritney Movement. Since as early as 2009, the movement has been active and has become mainstream since Britney has begun making public efforts to end the conservatorship. This past June, Britney testified to Brenda Perry, the judge in charge of overseeing her case. The request was unfortunately denied on the basis that Spears has not filed the appropriate paperwork to request bring an end to the conservatorship.
The Situation
According to the Legal Information Institute, a conservator is a court-appointed individual who handles the financial or daily life affairs of a conservatee. Conservatorships are usually used for elderly people who are not able to function on their own. In Britney Spear’s conservatorship, she is the conservatee and her father is the conservator of Britney’s estate, and at one point the conservator of Britney herself. Jamie Spears has control over a lot of what Britney does, including her health, business affairs, and her money, even though she is a fully functional woman. It is important to note here that a conservatorship lawyer, that was interviewed on The New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears”, said that they have never seen a victim in a conservatorship escape the relationship.
Britney has always disapproved of her father being the main conservator, even when he first began. In recent years Britney has begun her legal fight in ending her father’s control over her estate, and her lawyer has revealed that the two are not on good terms. On June 23, 2021, Britney addressed the court and explained how the conservatorship is abuse for 24 minutes. The singer spoke on how was forced to work, not being able to take out her IUD, and not even being able to go on a drive with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. Even fans who were already aware of how horribly Britney’s conservatorship is, many were still shocked by the things she revealed.
Britney Spears in Carson, California on May 11, 2013
In her 24 minute testimony, the singer speaks on everything that has happened throughout the 13 years, and what she wants to happen going forward. According to Britney, she was forced to tour and work even when she was sick, and when she said she did not want to do a show in Vegas the team made false complaints to her therapist about her not taking her medicine. The therapist put her on lithium and she was also forced to go to rehab. There are several mentions of her worrying about being punished by people in charge of her. Britney also made it perfectly clear that she wanted to petition for the conservatorship to end, without being evaluated. She said that she wants to go to one meeting (therapy) once a week, instead of the three (therapy and psychiatrist) her team has her doing, along with the freedom to meet with whoever she wants, get married, and have a baby, which her team won’t allow. And as Britney said herself, she doesn’t like feeling like she works for the people she pays.
How did this begin?
In order to understand the full gravity of the situation at hand, it is necessary to understand how it started. The documentary “Framing Britney Spears” captures everything, her highs and lows, and what led to the conservatorship. Britney’s rise to fame came with her first album ..Baby One More Time, in the ’90s. Her music sent the message of women being in control of their sexuality and feeling comfortable with being sexy. She also came in the midst of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, where the topic of sex was being discussed differently. The pop star fell victim to slut-shaming and inappropriate comments on her body, causing her to stray away from pleasing everyone and doing more of what she wanted.
The story gets darker after her breaking up with Justin Timberlake, who in the 2000s were seen as ‘America’s It Couple’. After the split, Justin basically took control of the narrative and painted the story that Britney hurt him and was the reason for the breakup, villainizing her. This led to a rise in misogyny toward Britney. After going through this, Britney went through the media and paparazzi humiliating her and invading her privacy. It became worse once she got married and had her sons. The media began labeling her as an unfit mother, while the paparazzi were constantly harassing her. Daniel Ramos, the paparazzo, from 2007, who after harassing Britney Spears (who at the time was struggling with being able to see her children), got his car beat by Spears, claims in the documentary, that he never felt like Britney wanted them to leave her alone, even when she specifically said so. Shortly after these events the conservatorship beings to form.
A #FreeBritney protest.
All Those In Support
Since Britney has gone public with the truth and the #FreeBritney movement became mainstream, many celebrities have come forward to show their support for the singer. Celebrities like Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Brandy Norwood, and any others have taken to social media to express their support for her. Some of the more surprising supporters are Perez Hilton and Justin Timberlake, who even with their controversial past with Britney have still shown their support. Britney’s sister, Jamie Lynn Spears has also spoken about the situation and displayed her ‘support’ for Britney, after years of ignoring any questions. Many viewers did not think Jamie Lynn’s words were genuine and proceeded to call her out for it.
The #FreeBritney movement is obviously not going any, not until Britney is free. Even though she was denied once again the June, the next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 14, 2021. No matter how long it takes, Britney is determined to get her freedom and rights back, as they have been taken away for far too long, and we should all support her in doing so.
SOURCES:
-https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54897918
-https://kulturehub.com/britney-spears-conservatorship/
-The New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears”
IMAGES:
Britney Spears, Carson, California on May 11, 2013 [Wikimedia Commons - Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com]
Britney Spears appears to endorse the #FreeBritney movement [BBC]
![Wikimedia Commons - Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Britney_Spears_2013_(Straighten_Crop).jpg){kind=link}