Britney Spears Background
American singer Britney Spears, aka the “Princess of Pop,” began her career at the early age of fifteen and later was known for sparking the pop phenomenon among teen girls. As Britney appeared to be an average rising star, fans began to notice that she was more provocative with her lyrics and dance moves which led to much controversy and criticism. Britney’s fame heightened despite the revealing outfits and seemingly dirty songs, and she soon signed a multi-million dollar contract. Continuing her music career, she also appeared on many shows until suddenly, in 2019, when she reported she would be taking an “indefinite work hiatus,” which left fans shocked and interested in knowing more.
Reason for Conservatorship
Britney’s personal life was regularly discussed and well-known, perhaps more so than her music career. Her clamorous marriage to Kevin Federline, which ultimately sent her spiraling into unstable and bizarre outbursts, resulted in a court-ordered conservatorship after she erratically shaved her head and was hospitalized for her questionable mental health.
Conservatorship Terms
A conservatorship is a legal guardianship for reasons such as the belief that someone cannot make decisions for themselves and their well-being, often being people with mental health disorders, the elderly, or people who threaten their safety. This contract allows the conservator to have ultimate control over financial affairs, daily activities, and someone’s health and living arrangements. In Britney’s case, her conservator was her father. In the beginning, after her manic episode, her conservatorship was intended to be temporary but later became permanent and lasted 12 years. Her father, Jamie Spears was allowed the opportunity to negotiate her career and business affairs, file restraining orders for people who he deemed dangerous to her well being, and required Britney to log every purchase she made which was reviewed annually by court. Jamie saw this opportunity as a chance to control every move Britney made and took it and abused her as an artist and a person. Fans later found out that these terms also restricted Britney from driving, getting married, using social media, talking about the conservatorship, doing unscripted interviews, or simply going on a walk without permission from Jamie.
#FreeBritney Movement
Fans who think Britney has been silenced by the conservatorship and believe her father enslaves her started the #FreeBritney movement to raise awareness and hopefully allow for further investigation into the terms of her conservatorship. The argument that arose was that conservatorships were designed for people who cannot take care of themselves mentally and physically. Still, Britney has managed to produce four albums and participate in world tours.
Dissolving the Conservatorship
In 2020 Britney’s brother Bryan spoke out in regards to the conservatorship and stated that Britney did indeed want out of the contract, and she had for a while. In September, Britney expressed her desire for a new lawyer who was independent and not appointed to her. She also conveyed her desire to make her hearings public, hinting at the support of the #FreeBritney movement. Two months later, Jamie indicated his ongoing concern for Britney taking back her life and finances, and a judge rejected the motion to remove Jamie from being co-conservator of her life. This caused Britney’s attorney to argue that it would be detrimental to allow Jamie more control over her estate. As of this November, Britney is finally free of her conservatorship and is living her life in Los Angeles, California as a free woman and mother. Since the dissolution of her conservatorship, Britney consistently posts on her social media accounts (particularly Instagram) about what she went through for the past 14 years in a conservatorship and how she is living her life freely now with her sons and boyfriend. She also writes how thankful she is to all of her fans who started the Free Britney Movement and her supporters as they are the reason she is a free woman today.
