[Image: Heute.At]
On November 12, 2021, Britney Spears marked what she called “the best day ever” as a judge officially terminated the conservatorship that had controlled her life for 14 years. Outside the courtroom, fans erupted in celebration under #FreeBritney banners, many in tears.
Public opinion quickly turned against her father, Jamie Spears, who was cast as the controlling monster behind her ordeal.
While Jamie maintained that his oversight of Britney’s finances, career, and personal decisions was “in her best interest, a necessary measure to safeguard her wellbeing”, Britney painted a much darker picture, describing the conservatorship as “abusive” and comparing her experience to that of a “sex trafficking victim.”
But more than three years after the end of her conservatorship, some are beginning to question whether the celebrations were premature.
Refering to herself as Xila Maria River Red on occasion, Britney’s increasingly erratic social media presence and behaviour, sometimes featuring knives, claims of burning down her bathroom and angry tirades about “fake friends, has sparked renewed debate about her well-being.
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“I’m thinking her dad was correct in his guardian role… yikes,” one user posted on X. Another added: “Everyone pushed for #FreeBritney and forced her dad out—and now we’re seeing why he was in control. Be careful what you wish for.”
Jamie Spears, now living in a trailer and reportedly in poor health, remains estranged from his daughter. But in a rare statement last year, he insisted that his actions had been justified, saying his “work as conservator has ultimately been vindicated”. A controversial claim, but what if he was right?
“Letting a documentary create public pressure to undo her conservatorship was a huge mistake. Turns out it was wrong to Free Britney,” others added in the wake of rambling videos where she’s affected a British accent and spoken ‘like a little child’.
Last month, she sparked concern by claiming she had ‘burned down’ her bathroom and performing dance moves dangerously close to her open fire.
Amid the unusual videos, Britney’s romance with “deadbeat ex-felon” boyfriend Paul Soliz also fizzled out for a second time around Valentine’s Day. Now single and at war with her family, it’s unclear who the star has to rely on.
Though Britney Spears faced personal setbacks after the end of her conservatorship, it also marked a musical revival. She returned to the charts with Hold Me Closer, a remix of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, which hit No. 1 in 35 countries.
Elton John said he hoped the success would help restore her confidence, calling her “broken” by years of control.
However, the erratic social media posts sparked growing concern, and in early 2023, fans requested a police welfare check after she deleted her Instagram for the seventh time in a year. Deputies found no immediate danger, but Britney later criticised the response, saying she felt “gaslit” and “bullied” and that the situation had gone “a little too far.”
“As everyone knows the police were called to my home based on some prank phone calls. I love and adore my fans this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded.”
The star was also alleged to be in danger of blowing her $ 60 million fortune after splashing out over a million dollars for each of her monthly trips to French Polynesia and Hawaii. She has reportedly spent thousands on private jets and five-star resorts for regular holidays, with an insider claiming: “She cannot afford this… she is in danger of going broke”.
A noted Hollywood psychiatrist then claimed the best plan of action for Britney’s well-being would be to place her under a new conservatorship.
Hollywood psychiatrists’ opinions aside, you have to feel for Britney. She hasn’t had a moment of peace since she stepped onto the Mickey Mouse Club stage, and whatever she’s been going through the last few years, everyone seems to have an opinion on how she should act, or not act.
#FreeBritney freed her from control, but seemingly not from judgment.
[Source: Daily Mail]
