What Was #FreeBritney?

Britney Spears is known as one of the most iconic and revolutionary pop stars and singers of our generation. Her debut single alone sold over 20 million records worldwide and is known as a very iconic pop song of the 2000s. Britney quickly became a polarizing figure in pop culture media and was heavily watched by the paparazzi. During her career, Britney released 9 albums including Oops!... I Did it Again, In The Zone, Blackout and Circus. Britney also went on to headline 10 world tours, a Las Vegas residency, and is overall known for her great stage presence and captivating dance numbers. Britney's father, Jamie Spears, always played a big part in her career and seemed to be very supportive to the public eye.

In 2007, Britney had a bad year: her aunt passed away, she went through a very public divorce, and she fought multiple custody battles. Like many artists such as Amy Winehouse and Justin Bieber, Britney was often followed and harassed by the media and the paparazzi, usually running through crowds just to get to the car from her door. After a very tough year, Britney was seen shaving her head in a salon, which some theorized was due to substance abuse or a mental breakdown. After this she began getting very violent with paparazzi, even getting into a physical altercation. Shortly after these events, Britney started to work on her fifth album, Blackout. This album is a fan favorite as it includes very popular songs like “Piece of Me” and “Why Should I Be Sad?” This album is known for revolutionizing pop music, as it was one of the first albums from an artist on her level to incorporate dark pop, gritty electronic sounds, and use of autotune as an instrument. Unfortunately, this album took time to be appreciated as there was originally negative backlash because some people believed Britney was going crazy.

Shortly after Britney released Blackout in February 2008, her father placed her under a temporary conservatorship in which he had control of her finances and what she did in her life. Eight months after the initial temporary conservatorship was put into place, it was turned into a permanent conservatorship. Britney had very little control over her career and life. Her father Jamie Spears and her attorney Andrew Wallet became co-conservators of Britney's estate and finances. 

Despite Britney being the executive producer of Blackout, her team allegedly hired ghost singer Myah Marie for Britney’s next four albums. Most of the albums were sung by Myah, with Britney singing only background vocals and ad-libs. Britney went on to headline multiple tours, but the public could tell something was off. Britney was silenced as she would be punished if she spoke out. In a leaked voicemail sent to her attorney, her father threatened to take custody of her kids away.

Though Britney had protested the conservatorship for years, including a private court hearing in 2019, she felt helpless and had no control. Britney only had 30% custody of her children, and she had to work very hard to see them. After 13 years in this conservatorship, it was made public. People were very angry and protested in the streets and all over social media. This movement became known as #freebritney. She had been giving very symbolic signs that she was not ok, and her social media presence on Instagram greatly impacted the case. In June 2021, Britney started her public court hearings to protest the conservatorship that restricted her from marrying, having more children, going out on her own, and spending her own money without restrictions. Britney Spears was put on many unnecessary medications and public therapy programs. She revealed shocking and sad details of what she was put through during this conservatorship and the lies they would say to assert more control. She had no idea that she could even try to get out of it. Britney was put under the first conservatorship because she was “diagnosed” with dementia at just 26, even though she performed multiple full-length tours and recorded countless albums and singles.

The public was very angered, as she is one of the most iconic public figures of all time and was more than capable of doing everyday tasks like using her cell phone unmonitored. After months of fighting, petitions, and relentless work, Britney was let off of the almost 14-year-long conservatorship and was finally free to live her own life. Britney could finally be a normal person and had control over simple things like Instagram and was even able to get married to her fiance, Sam Ashghari. In 2023, Britney released a memoir titled The Woman in Me. This memoir went in depth on Britney's life and spoke on very big topics like her public relationship with Justin Timberlake, her infamous 2007 VMAs performance, her sister, and multiple other events that hadn't been commented on in detail before. 

Britney hasn't made any public appearances since then, but it is rumored that she has plans to record music and possibly even tour in 2025. Though this is not confirmed, it's a fun thought and would be incredible for an icon like her to return to the industry.