Written By: Anjika Bhangu
Let’s talk Britney. I’m sure many of you have seen groups forming on social media to support the all-time pop singer, Britney Spears. However, many people are oblivious as to why these allies are being formed, and why #FreeBritney is trending. Today, I’m here to give you a breakdown about Britney’s life and how everything in it is altruistically toxic.
23 years ago, Britney Spears began her legacy as a singer when she released the song “Baby, One More Time.” Since then, she’s showcased her talent through various onstage performances and released hit albums earning her more success. You’d think that she’d be making millions in terms of income by this point, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, her father, James Spears, took on a conservatorship in 2008, disabling Britney from accessing all her earnings.
In simple terms, a conservatorship occurs when a judge appoints someone to take charge of another person’s income because the individual was deemed unworthy of handling their own money. In Brit’s case, this meant that her father was meddling with her business transactions and making decisions related to her health.
Why did this happen?
In the late 2000’s, Britney seemed to bemaking appearances that did not quite match society’s standards. For example, she shaved her head in front of her hairdresser and wore inappropriate clothing in public. Furthermore, she hit a paparazzi’s car with an umbrella. In all fairness though, she had just come out of a divorce and lost custody to both her children through this. As such, she agreed to a temporary conservatorship where her father would control her finances while she rehabilitated.
Sadly, temporary became permanent for a little over a decade. Surprisingly, it was Spears’ fans that discovered that as more time passed, Britney’s conservatorship was being abused. On top of health and finance decisions, Britney couldn’t choose who to date and who to see from time-to-time. It also got to the point that she couldn’t choose the colour of her cabinets without her father’s permission. The worst decision that was made by this conservatorship team was inputting an IUD (a form of birth control) into Britney, preventing her from having kids.
When She Wanted Out.
As these interferences become more prevalent to society, #FreeBritney began to circulate online. Britney finally had the courage and support from the public to stand in court, asking for the removal of her conservatorship in late June of 2021. One of the main arguments she formed was her inability to get married and have kids. In other words, she couldn’t settle down like any other celebrity. Despite her arguments, the judge denied her request and the conservatorship continued.
Following this hearing, Britney took a more demanding approach and pressed charges on her father for abusing the conservatorship. Additionally, her new lawyer filed that her father step down from being Britney’s conservator. After a little over a month of back-and-forth documents and hearings, James Spears officially stepped down from the conservatorship. It is unknown whether Britney will continue to be in a conservatorship, but at last she has gained some peace of mind since her father no longer has a grip on her life. Till the next hearing, #FreeBritney.
