Britney Spears: Classic or Dud?

the whole story over the years is just painful. brilliant artist

― Swen, Sunday, January 28, 2024 12:29 PM bookmarkflaglink

Yeah - she had to contend with a fuck-ton of pressure from a very young age, even before becoming the obsession of creepy paparazzos pointing out every little imperfect thing she did, or turning her head-shaving into a punchline and mocking her for it.

Looking forward to the book. I did have a problem with the lionizing some did of the #FreeBritney movement. Obviously, it is a good thing that she was to get out of her conservatorship, which is what she wanted, and I do think most people did have her best wishes at heart, but a fairly sizable portion of that movement had and still has a terrifying understanding of boundaries. and people want to "No True Scotsman" away these folks like they're a handful of randos but...they're not.

Last year, Britney deleted her Instagram, and a bunch of these 'fans' called the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, demanding they do a welfare check. Which they did, found Britney was fine, and Britney begged for fans to respect her privacy. Many of them seeing her act in ways they didn't like, like posting nudes/lewds on Instagram, and posting about it, concerned, as if they wanted her freedom so she could act in the way THEY approved of. some of them even expressing regret for her being released from her conservatorship. of course, some of these people are just the same assholes that were gawking at her before too, but it's disheartening to see after she got what she needed, fans don't want to let her enjoy her newfound freedom.

still a lot of work to be done - https://www.cbc.ca/arts/britney-spears-freebritney-mental-illness-cultural-reckoning-1.6784718

I think ... yeah, she's complicated. I think she still faces a number of challenges.

it feels like part of the problem in the cultural reckoning, if there is a problem and maybe it's just a point of relevance, is that there seems to be a need for the assignment of blame. feels like maybe it's not all everybody's fault, nor is it all her fault in terms of credibility etc, but there is a gray area in between. and regardless, I think the hope is maybe she can unpack some more art in the second half of her life.