Framing Britney Spears is a documentary presented by the New York Times that follows Britney Spears’s rise to stardom. The documentary captures Britney’s ex-team, the media, and her fans telling their side of Britney’s impact on celebrity culture. It showcases her life through the lens of the public eye and those who truly were captivated by her presence. If you’re someone like me, you weren’t conscious enough of the phenomenon that was Britney Spears in the early 2000s, but also if you’re someone like me, you’d look at this documentary and see Britney is just a human being. There’s so much more to Britney Spears than just being a pop star. She’s a mother, an influencer, and a powerful woman. Society often does not care to understand teenage girls past their appearance or sexuality, and this is evident through the example of Britney. You can leave your heart out on the stage but when you come off it, you’re not asked questions about it. Instead, you’re asked about boyfriends, the clothes you wear, or your sexuality. It was somehow okay back then to just ask those personal questions to a teenage girl. In today’s society that would not be tolerated without receiving criticism.
We see how Britney took control of herself and didn’t try to live up to society’s standards of what a teenage girl should be or act like. Misogyny plays a big role in how we can blame or not believe women and that’s terrifying. The Justin Timberlake incident was truly a test of that because Britney was being slut-shamed as Justin was playing the victim. People were asking “What did she do to him?”, and the media further intensified the situation. I’m sorry, but it feels wrong that there are only two people in this young relationship, and yet somehow it’s everyone’s business. Fame brings out the worst in how the world or people treat you. The paparazzi did not treat her as a human being, and this was a big part of the mental breakdown that she suffered through. She wasn’t respected and everyone had a say in her life while this woman was going through so much behind the scenes. Society often says to celebrities that “they signed up for this life” and that’s not true. Celebrities don’t make themselves famous we do. And when some things should be enough, we want more or rip them apart about it.
In 2007, we saw the infamous Britney Spears mental breakdown and damaging of a paparazzo’s property. They swarmed around her when she continually told them to stop harassing her. The media spun it to her being “crazy” or losing it. Britney eventually received mental help after that incident, but at what cost was her long-term “help”? She is now in conservatorship under her father, which she didn’t want. A conservatorship is a legal action appointed by a judge that grants a protector the right to manage someone’s life and finances. This action is very hard to get out of and puts too much power into the hands of the conservator.
The #FreeBritney campaign was started to bring awareness to Britney’s controversial situation. This campaign and documentary have allowed us to recognize that Britney Spears is not experiencing a typical, nor ideal, celebrity lifestyle. It has real issues behind it that need to be talked about, such as mental health and conservatorships. After the release of the documentary, Britney wrote on Instagram saying, “No matter what we think we know about a person’s life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.” We hear you Britney, and we can’t wait for you to tell your story. If you want to watch the full documentary, it is now streaming on Hulu.