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Why We Should Care About Britney Spears
Her conservatorship sheds light on the fragility of women’s financial rights and autonomy
I was just as mesmerized as all of you. She was beautiful to look at, about to be hugely successful, and was belting out a soprano to lyrics only a high school sophomore could love. But as a teenager, I was only mildly interested in a celebrity’s personal life. So while I became a fan of Brittney Spears’ music from the release of her very first single, “Baby One More Time,” in 1998, I didn’t look too deep into the stories that haunted her reputation as the years went on.
There should have been a public outcry in the 2000s when the media and paparazzi assaulted the superstar “girl-next-door” by verbally prodding her body and sexuality, and ostracizing her mental health. But not only did we stand on the sidelines, but we also participated in her downfall by giving tabloids and media outlets the ratings they desired as they covered her hysteria, her hospitalization, and her court proceedings.
At that time, we should have recognized the abuse and trauma that this young woman was experiencing and then hold those people who claimed to work in her best interest responsible. Instead, we turned away as her children were taken away from her, and her civil liberties and autonomy were stripped.
