Framing Britney

Image by Tobias Tullius

“Framing Britney Spears” was released on Hulu by The New York Times in February, and it quickly sparked a conversation regarding Britney Spears’ life in the spotlight. As Britney’s career grew in the 90s and early 2000s, she faced harsh criticism from fans, the paparazzi, and even talk show hosts who publicly made a mockery of her career. 

I remember hearing bits and pieces of Britney’s gradual mental health decline when I was a child. The situation was often described as the star “losing her mind.” When I watch the documentary now, I see her situation from an entirely new perspective. There was so much going on behind the scenes with her marriage, her children, and with her own mental health issues that led the star to eventually reach her breaking point. 

Throughout the film, Felicia Culotta, a family friend of Britney’s, discusses the star’s rise to fame from childhood. She watched as Britney grew from a young Disney star to a global sensation, and as she began to face judgements as a woman in the music industry. Britney’s life was constantly on display, even as she begged for privacy and consideration, to a point where she felt terrified of leaving her house as she knew the paparazzi would quickly find and follow her. The documentary features one heartbreaking interview in particular, where Britney begins to cry on camera. The interviewer asks, “What do you think it will take for the paparazzi to leave you alone?” Britney responds, “I don’t know, I don’t know.” 

In this same interview, they talked about her character and her role as a mother. Her life, made public for essentially the world to see, was put on display and even her decisions with her children were constantly questioned. Many of us may remember the photos of Britney inside a restaurant, in tears, holding her child as she begged to be left alone by the press. 

The photos and interview clips included in the film haunt me. I wonder now how her mental health struggles were ignored and joked about as nothing more than a crazy pop star going off the deep end. Eventually, Britney entered a conservatorship in 2008 and still remains under the legal guardianship of her father who controls her estate, health and business affairs. As of November 2020, Britney revealed that she refuses to perform as long as she remains under her father’s conservatorship. This legal conservatorship has been her reality for around 12 years now, and at this point it appears she’s ready to move on and take charge of her own life.  

However, this ongoing battle currently remains at a standstill for the pop star. Towards the end of the documentary, we get a look into the current legal battle between Britney and her father, Jamie Spears, regarding his control over her estate. Although Britney hasn’t said much regarding the conservatorship, we do know that she wants to break free from his care and has even mentioned being afraid of her father.  

Fans have become increasingly concerned for the pop star, and over the years the #FreeBritney movement has gained traction. Britney’s Gram, a podcast dedicated to analyzing Britney’s social media presence, noticed that she disappeared from social media for several months without any real explanation. 

Even now, her fans continue digging on social media for clues about what is going on in Britney’s life, and those in support of the movement show strong support for her fight to break from the conservatorship. The #FreeBritney movement works through social media, with fans all around the world communication with one another almost entirely online. There have been several gatherings for the movement, however most of the groups work includes compiling articles, clues, and other resources to raise awareness about Britney’s current situation. 

The #FreeBritney website includes a full timeline of Britney’s life under the conservatorship, as well as continued updates on news regarding her legal journey. There are plenty of resources available there to learn more about Britney’s life, and I encourage everyone to take a deeper look into the movement. Britney’s story is heartbreaking yet fascinating, and the documentary opened my eyes to how serious her mental health struggles and her current guardianship struggles have been. 

By Madelyn Fink

Journalism major and avid baker. Lover of yoga and a very dedicated plant mom.