Britney Spears: Modern Day Slave?

Britney Spears, Toxic

Britney Spears’ tragic statement about her abusive conservatorship to a judge was utterly awful to read. Britney compared her life and work conditions to that of a sex slave. It is chilling on so many levels.

Beautiful and talented, Britney noted she has been working almost her entire life. A Mickey Mouse club regular, she shot to fame with her most famous (my least favourite) release, Hit Me Baby One More Time. The singer has been legally controlled against her will since 2008 which is when her conservatorship began with several people accused by her of abusing their positions. It’s quite a reflection of the patriarchy and obsession with celebrity lives that she felt embarrassed for what was happening to her rather than the perpetrators thinking about their behaviour.

In the past (even recent past) women could be forcibly instituted into mental asylums at the whim of male members of their family: if they didn’t want to marry, if they didn’t obey their husband, if they had views deemed extraordinary. In Britney’s case her father and appointed lawyer decided she was unfit for everything except work, how convenient. Britney’s lawyer withheld counsel from her, did not authentically represent her views and seemed to have conflic of interest - why would he want the arrangement to end when he had a golden goose? Britney is prevented from marrying, from having more children, forced to work but without any freedom.

The #freebritney movement started by super fans on social media went from a fringe concern to a global movement and other celebrities have also rallied around her following her recent court appearance. Bravo to the fans for their sustained campaign, Britney Spears has been let down by her family and the legal system, shame on them.