#FreeBritney: A Summary

By: Mallory Johnson

Britney Spears has gone through a lot in her long career, including mental health issues, paparazzi not leaving her alone, public relationships (and very public breakups), invasive interviews and tabloids, or her toxic conservatorship with her dad. She is a well-known pop singer, her most popular songs are Toxic, Baby One More Time, and Oops I Did it Again. In the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” all of this is discussed.

Conservatorship is defined as a guardian or a protector is appointed by a judge to manage the financial and/or daily life of another due to physical or mental limitations, or old age. In 2008, Britney Spears was first placed under this conservatorship, and she had no control over her money or assets. This conservatorship is still in place thirteen years later, despite Britney’s wishes. Britney’s fans started a movement with #FreeBritney, in hopes of helping her get freed. They make social media posts and protests about it (as you can see in the documentary). Fans also believe that Britney is sending cryptic messages on her Instagram account. Some fans believe that she does not have full control of her social media accounts.

You can learn more about this in the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” on Crave, but it is hard to watch, as it details the mistreatment, conservatorship, and mental health issues that Britney went through over her whole career.