America’s history is riddled with stories of young women who fell victim to exploitation and adversity. Notable among these are the accounts of Judy Garland, who was given amphetamines at the tender age of 16 during the filming of “The Wizard of Oz” in 1938, Frances Farmer, who was involuntarily institutionalized in 1942, and the heart-wrenching fate of Dorothy Stratten, who met a tragic end at the hands of her former manager in 1980 at the age of 20.
Fast forward to a year after Stratten’s tragic death, and we find the birth of Britney Spears, a pop sensation whose new memoir, “The Woman in Me,” suggests that, despite the passing years, little progress has been made in safeguarding the well-being of the women we all claim to cherish.
In 2021, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we witness Britney Spears, a woman who has achieved monumental success in the music industry, virtually pleading for her freedom in a Los Angeles court. This plea comes after 13 years of being under the control of her father, a man who has dictated her every move.
Britney Spears impassioned plea reveals the fear she grappled with. She writes, “My voice had been used for me, and against me, so many times I was afraid nobody would recognize it now if I spoke freely. What if they called me crazy? What if they said I was lying?” In her address to the judge, her primary focus isn’t the millions her father supposedly siphoned during her conservatorship but, rather, the most fundamental of human rights. She implores, “I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does. By having a child, a family, any of those things.”
The juxtaposition of how the biggest female pop star of the post-Madonna era found herself in such a situation is both a reflection of the old-school struggles depicted by Faulkner and the post-modern complexities presented by Nathaniel West.
Britney’s journey begins in Kenwood, Louisiana, where she was raised by James Spears, a tyrannical alcoholic father who had faced his share of brutality from his own father. Her mother, Lynne, a local beauty, married James, served him divorce papers in 1980 due to his drinking and violence, and later reconciled with him, ultimately raising three children, with Britney as the eldest.
Britney’s early memories are marred by her parents’ tumultuous relationship, characterized by her mother’s desperate screams at her drunken and incoherent father. His unexplained disappearances often came as a relief to the family, as Spears writes, “To be honest, it was kindness to us when he went away.”
It’s incomprehensible that the same James Spears was granted conservatorship over his daughter for 13 years. While Britney acknowledges her own share of responsibility, the primary actors in her life’s downward spiral were men. Even her mother, Lynne, and sister, Jamie-Lynn, are not exempt from her critical assessment. Notably, her contempt for her sister is palpable.
From Ed McMahon’s inappropriate advances to Justin Timberlake’s coercive behavior regarding an abortion, the men in Britney’s life often cast shadows of exploitation. Timberlake’s portrayal of himself as the lovelorn, wronged party in his album “Justified” stands as a prime example of the distortions she faced. Her tumultuous marriage to Kevin Federline, who concealed information about his existing children and went on to father two more with Britney, only added to her tribulations. His unsuccessful rap career, fueled by her fame, further compounded her struggles.
The paparazzi, overwhelmingly male, relentlessly hounded her, and late-night talk show hosts, also predominantly male, reveled in making a spectacle of her descent into chaos, symbolized by her head-shaving incident and the infamous umbrella incident. Britney recounts the eerie comments about her breasts and the obsession with her alleged plastic surgeries during interviews.
Despite these stories of exploitation, Britney handles the accounts matter-of-factly, opting to avoid ad hominem attacks. Nevertheless, she occasionally delivers pointed critiques, such as Justin Timberlake’s encounter with one of his rap heroes during a visit to New York.
It was the birth of her sons, Sean and Jayden, within a year of each other that triggered a downward spiral. After the birth of her second child in 2006, Britney spiraled into postpartum depression. Kevin Federline swiftly took custody of their children, with reasons not fully explained. Britney acknowledges her own lapses but attributes her behavior during this time to severe postpartum depression, her husband’s abandonment, separation from her children, and relentless paparazzi pressure.
In 2008, after a visit with her sons, Britney’s panic led her to lock herself in a bathroom with one of her children, ultimately involving the police. This incident marked one of her multiple hospitalizations, all instigated by the men in her life and under various pretexts, including a nervous breakdown, Adderall abuse, and, after her father assumed control, the use of over-the-counter energy supplements.
Britney’s compliance with treatments stemmed from the fear that a lack of cooperation would result in the loss of access to her children. She writes, “After being held down on a gurney, I knew they could restrain my body any time they wanted to, and so, I went along with it. My freedom in exchange for naps with my children—it was a trade I was willing to make.”
Ironically, while Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, deemed her unfit to make her own choices, he considered her capable of global tours and a Las Vegas residency. Britney’s life was a paradox—too ill to choose her boyfriend, yet somehow healthy enough to appear on sitcoms, morning shows, and perform for thousands around the world.
Even during her performances, Britney was not in control. During her Vegas residency, she was prohibited from altering the setlist or even the background music.
A later hospitalization proved to be the breaking point. Britney claims she was committed long-term after refusing to agree to more Las Vegas dates. She was prescribed Lithium, a drug that had been forcibly administered to her grandmother, who now rests beneath a headstone that reads, “THY TRIALS ARE OVER, THY REST IS WON.” Her contact with the outside world was severely limited, with just one hour of television and parental controls placed on her phone.
It was during this period that a nurse informed her of the growing #FreeBritney fan movement. In 2021, Britney finally found her path to freedom by doing the only thing she knew: she dialed 911 and reported her father for the abusive conservatorship.
While life after emancipation hasn’t been a fairy tale, at least Britney now has control over her own life. And that’s something no man should ever be able to take away from her.
Have We Truly Learned? The media, talk show hosts, and paparazzi have expressed regret over their treatment of the Princess of Pop, but have we genuinely learned our lesson? Only time will tell.