#FREEBRITNEY

A friend texted me earlier this evening asking, “Have you watched the Britney document on Hulu yet? I have so many feelings!” I was just about to sit down to watch it as she texted. To say “I have so many feelings about it” would be underplaying how I felt after watching “Framing Britney Spears” on Hulu.

Beginning the documentary I wondered if it would be another example of ‘the court of public opinion’ weighing in on someone none of us truly know. Four minutes into the show we’re introduced to Felicia. Any fan of Britney knows who Felicia is. As Britney’s longtime chaperone and assistant from “Baby One More Time” right up to the end of Britney’s residency in Vegas, she is closer to Britney than some members of her family. “The one reason I agreed to do this interview was to remind people why they fell in love with her in the first place,” Felicia states. With that, I knew I wasn’t going to be watching just another Britney documentary!

I was lucky enough to meet Britney Spears back in 2017. I was in Vegas for my stag do (bachelor party) and my two best friends and I had tickets to see Britney’s Vegas residency. A friend of a friend worked backstage on the show and was able to arrange for us to join the backstage tour. As discussed in the Hulu documentary, Felicia was the person who conducted the tour. She was incredibly charming and sweet, but most of all, you could tell she loved Britney; I imagine like she was her own family. Once we were done with the backstage tour we started to head off to get drinks before the show when we were approached by Britney’s security. “You’re Wayne’s friends, right?” (Truth be told I hadn’t met Wayne at this point but he was the contact who had secured us backstage tickets). “Yes, yep, we’re friends with Wayne.” “Okay, come back here in 30 minutes and we’ll take you to meet Britney.” We were beside ourselves with excitement.

Around 20-30 fans had paid for the meet and greet and we were last to meet her. Right before meeting Britney, Felicia let us know that despite what most people think, Britney is very shy, that she feeds off other people’s energy, and to be open, friendly, and treat her like you were meeting an old friend. We turned the corner and there she was- incredibly smiley, sweet, kind- everything I expected Britney to be. We posed for a photo with Britney and I remember the photographer asking us to get closer. “Scoochy, scooch, scooch,” Britney said. She was funny and welcoming. We chatted for a little bit about why we were in Vegas and Britney looked at my hair and said, “I like your hair. It’s very…..ummm….refreshing!” Needless to say, I almost died, and now, whenever I have a bad hair day I think to myself, “Britney said your hair is refreshing. Get it together!”

As we were about to leave we said our goodbyes and Britney said, “You guys are so fun. I want to hang out with you!” At the time I thought she was just being kind; she must say this to all of her fans. After watching the documentary, I felt a real pang of sadness over her saying that to us. The documentary alluded to the fact that Britney, over the years, has been very lonely and never had friends she could truly trust. If I could go back to that point I’d have insisted Britney join us afterward. Sure, she likely wouldn’t have (given the control people have over her and the fact we’re complete strangers) but take out the fact Britney is Britney, she is also a woman in her 30s having her every move controlled by a man who, as court documents show, Britney no longer wants in control of her life. On a human-level who wouldn’t want to help her? Seeing Felicia on the documentary gave legitimacy to all of the speculations the fans and those involved in the #FreeBritney movement have felt all along- Britney is trapped by her father and her conservatorship needs to be lifted.

Back in 2019, Britney announced and then quickly canceled a new residency at Park MGM in Vegas. A couple of months after, the world found out Britney had been placed in a psychiatric facility- as discussed in the documentary we don’t know if this was by Britney’s choice or those behind her conservatorship. The main question we’re left wondering after the Hulu/FX show, if Britney is mentally capable to be productive enough to headline a Las Vegas residency, why is she not allowed to make her own decisions? The conservatorship has been shrouded in mystery with several non-disclosure agreements signed by anyone who has any dealings with the conservatorship itself. However, what has become more and more apparent in the time since is Britney’s dissatisfaction with Jamie Spears as her conservator- going so far as saying she will not work until he is no longer in this position.

Not only does the documentary open us up to the (frankly) warped legalities of Britney’s conservatorship, but it also begs us to question whether any productive, capable adult, one who is able to show stability, work ethic, and an understanding of the situation they find themselves in, should ever be under the controls of a conservator? The past few years have opened the public up to the years of abuse women have faced at the hands of powerful men in Hollywood under the #MeToo movement. We’re left to question: is it too not a form of abuse to stop a mentally capable person from making their own decisions? None of us know what is going on behind closed doors in Britney’s life, however, through the interviews with people who do know Britney, it appears she is well aware she is being exploited and controlled. "To be honest, I didn't then nor do I now understand what a conservatorship is," Felicia said of the arrangement, "especially for somebody Britney’s age and somebody capable of so much I know, firsthand, she's capable of."

It’s not an understatement to say that the whole world owes Britney Spears a huge apology! The world gawked as we saw her infamous demise in 2007 and the media never questioned whether, perhaps, she really needed help. In just over 60-minutes we are witness to the ill-treatment of a kind, talented girl turned woman, by news anchors, late-night hosts, ex-boyfriends, and paparazzi. It’s no secret that female celebrities are scrutinized more than their male counterparts and watching the media turn on Britney for mistakes (that many of us are guilty of) was painful to watch not just as a fan, but as a human being. In 2021, I’d like to think as a world we’re more aware of mental health issues and the need to help people who are struggling as opposed to judging and ridiculing. We owe Britney our understanding and support. As the court documents from her latest conservatorship hearing show, she supports the #FreeBritney movement and my hope is this documentary helps to shed light on her situation and free her from those who wish to control her.

I’d never fully bought into the conspiracy theory that Britney is sending us messages through her Instagram posts. After watching “framing Britney Spears” I’m a little less skeptical. If I’m to suspend my belief for just a moment, I’d like to finish off talking about Britney’s latest post (February 6th) on Instagram. She has posted a video of her playing with some silly putty that she says she got from Target (could she be referring to herself? The “target” of years of abuse and scrutiny in the media and by people close to her?). In the video, she is playing with the putty and says, “I like satisfaction. I find this VERY satisfying!” I’d like to think Britney has seen the documentary and how it brings to light the treatment she has faced at the hands of her father, Jamie, and her naysayers. Her post feels like a big f*ck you to him and all of the people who have treated her badly. It appears the truth is finally coming out and she is satisfied knowing that, eventually, in the words of Felicia, “At some point Britney will tell her story!”