Britney Spears is perhaps the quintessential artist of the late 90s and early 2000s. Her impact on pop culture and the music industry has influenced some of the biggest names in music today, such as Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. The massive amount of acclaim she received for her music meant she would constantly be in the public eye, much to her chagrin.
In 2006, Spears and her then-husband Kevin Federline, a dancer, got divorced. From that moment, she would find that everywhere she went and anything she did, she would be constantly bombarded by paparazzi that were desperate for a front-cover tabloid scoop. The “Toxic” singer could be seen visibly distraught in photos amidst a custody battle between her and Federline, with crowds of cameras pointed directly at her face. The media painted Spears as an irresponsible mother who was unfit to take care of her two kids. After Federline reportedly did not allow her to see her children, Spears was spotted shaving her head in a salon. Just days after, she attacked the car of a paparazzo that cornered her in a gas station in what seemed like a plea for privacy. To Britney’s dismay, the court ended up giving full custody to Federline due to these public incidents.
Shortly after her stay in rehab and psychiatric facilities during the year of 2008, Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, placed her in a temporary conservatorship, the legal status wherein a court appoints a responsible person known as the “conservator” (in this case, Jamie Spears) to manage and care for another adult called the “conservatee” (Britney Spears). According to Jamie’s lawyers, Britney had been placed in this conservatorship because "her life was inshambles and she was in physical, emotional, mental and financial distress." Unfortunately for the pop singer, this meant that her father would have complete control over her finances and personal matters, such as her choice to get married or have children. To make matters worse, the conservatorship had been extended indefinitely – and, unbeknownst to Britney, would continue for another 13 years.
Fast-forward to 2020 and 2021: during the pandemic, Spears expresses her distress regarding the “traumatizing” conservatorship, stating that she had been drugged and forced to perform onstage against her will, among other issues. Through the help of her lawyers, Britney would officially request an order for Jamie Spears to be replaced as her conservator, alleging that he would “reap millions of dollars from his daughter’s estate,” capitalizing off of her suffering through the conservatorship. However, it wasn’t until FX and The New York Times released the Framing Britney Spears documentary that people began to view, in retrospect, the media and conservatorship’s treatment of the “Everytime” singer. This brought mass attention to the #FreeBritney tagline, a social movement aiming to essentially “free” Britney Spears from the control of her abusive father and grant her economic and romantic autonomy. This movement
spawned rallies of people in support of Britney, both online via social media and in-person through forms of protest.
On November 12 of 2021, after 13 years, Britney Spears’ conservatorship and dispute with her father came to a conclusion. Brenda Penny, a Los Angeles Judge, stated that “conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required,” thus ending her conservatorship, and allowing Britney control over her estate, finances, and personal wellbeing. Spears, now engaged to fiancé Sam Asghari, can finally begin her life without the control of her father.
Whether it be her undeniable influence on music as a whole, or the strength and courage she exemplified during the dispute against her father, Britney Spears has shown us time and time again how much of a prominent role she plays in women’s history.