Britney Spears: Finally Free

After 13 years of what the star refers to as a “traumatizing and abusive” conservatorship, Britney Spears was freed on Friday, Nov. 12. In the United States, a conservatorship is the appointment of a guardian by a judge to manage the financial affairs (estate) and/or the daily life of another person due to old age or physical/mental limitations. Britney Spears’ conservatorship started as temporary, after a breakdown was made public by paparazzi back in 2008. Her father, Jamie Spears, was appointed the sole conservator of Britney’s estate and being, leaving him in charge of every aspect of the young star’s life. 

The conservatorship placed several limitations on Britney’s life, sending her into what she claims was a worsened depressive state.

“I’m not happy. I’m so angry it’s insane. I cry every day,” Spears told a judge on June 23. The June court case was the first time Britney had spoken publicly about her disapproval for the conservatorship due to the strict hold her father had on her. Spears was unable to speak to the press herself, and began posting to Instagram in a cryptic fashion, causing fans to theorize about Britney’s wellbeing.

A podcast entitled “Britney’s Gram” was created by comedians Tess Barker and Barbara Gray in which the girls deciphered Britney’s posts each week. The podcast gained traction resulting in fans creating what became known as the #FreeBritney movement.

Supporters of the movement took to the streets of LA, protesting outside of courthouses in an attempt to make their voices heard. The movement escalated, gaining attention from the press eventually resulting in “The New York Times” documentary “Framing Britney Spears” to be released.  While Jamie Spears made sure his daughter’s voice was silenced, fans made sure their advocacy for the stars’ freedom would not go unheard.

“I heard about the movement through Instagram” sophomore Mitchell Luker shared. “I’m just happy that [the conservatorship] is over. It wasn’t deserved at all, especially since Britney remained a prominent pop figure.” 

English teacher Mr. Schaper shares the confusion as to why the conservatorship continued for so many years.

“She’s been a Vegas staple the past five years. No one in a desperate mental state could handle a job as demanding as that.”

The lyric “my loneliness is killing me” from Britney’s late 90s hit “…Baby One More Time” now appears to foreshadow the past decade of her life. Spears has been deprived of social life throughout her conservatorship, prohibited from seeing her friends, some of which live just eight minutes away. Restrictions have also prevented Spears from seeing her children more than just a few times a year. With her oldest son now being 16, Britney has reluctantly missed almost the entirety of their childhoods. Spears has expressed interest in wanting to have more children now that she is freed, and able to get her IUD implant removed after being forced to have the birth control inserted. 

While the isolation Britney faced was a strong factor in wanting to disband the conservatorship, it was not her only one. The singer confessed in her June trial that she had been forced into performing at her Vegas staple show for over four years. Despite her constant objections, Jamie Spears maintained his power over Britney, with threats of sending her to rehab facilities or putting her on drugs she didn’t need. In 2018 Spears was forced into taking the highly addictive drug, Lithium, after a refusal to perform. She shared how the drug made her feel drunk and drowsy, and she was unable to even hold a simple conversation. It was tactics like this that instilled fear into Britney Spears.

So what’s next for Britney? The now 39-year-old star has many things to look forward to with her freedom.

“I’m excited to have the keys to my car and just finally feel like an independent woman,” Spears shared on Instagram live. Spears also has some more momentous events in the works. 

In September, Britney and her boyfriend of five years Sam Asghari became engaged. Spears is excited to be able to finally have the wedding of her dreams, without the approval of anyone else. While in court, Spears brought up her intentions to sue her father for conservatorship abuse. The case is expected to be brought to the courts sometime soon.

And as for her fans? Britney continues to express gratitude for them daily through social media. With the insane amount of love Spears has for her fans, she surprisingly made the announcement that she doesn’t plan on performing possibly ever again. The conservatorship drained her, taking away her love of performing and turning it into a torturous chore.

A fan from the beginning, Ms. Braswell expresses the bittersweetness of the announcement.

“It just makes me think about all of her concerts that I went to, and whether or not she actually wanted to be there.”

Fans anxiously await the future hoping the best for their beloved pop star, but most of all just excited to see a #FreedBritney.