I still remember the moment that I laid my eyes on that midriff.
I was a dramatic pre-teen full of dreams too big for her conservative parents and Britney Spears made me daydream about a future full of pigtails and High School life. Her music video for “Baby One More Time” lived in my mind, as the kids say, “rent free” for the better part of my pre-teen years. She was my first crush and my first concert. My love-affair with music and concerts started with her and it saddens me that she may never know the impact she had on so many of us.
The New York Times just released a documentary on FX/FX on Hulu where they do a deep-dive into Britney Spears’s conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement. You really should watch the documentary yourself but a quick recap:
The media contributed to the rise and fall of Britney Spears. We are reminded, once again, that Justin Timberlake is trash. The decline of Britney’s mental health sells for big bucks. Her father eventually becomes the conservator of her estate and Britney as a person. The Pop Princess, as we knew her, disappears. Her fans start becoming worried and a movement to free her from the shackles of her father begins. I court documents Britney goes on record saying she wants her father removed as conservator and that she supports the fan movement.
The documentary shines a light on the good side of fandom culture. We are currently living in a time when it’s easier to see when fandom culture often teeterS on the side of toxic but the #FreeBritney movement is everything but that. The movement has become a demonstration of appreciation for an artist that gave so much of herself to the world. We took and took and took and she never got tired of giving to us. Her talent brought us so much happiness and the fans are now just trying to ensure she is just as happy.
We just want our Pop Princess back.
You can now watch Framing Britney Spears on FX or Hulu