In the beginning, Britney Spears was known for being perfect. She was a beautiful, honest, and talented girl known all over the world. Now she faces a struggle to recover her freedom. By definition, enslavery means a condition in which one human being is owned by another. Without the power to say “no”, Britney Spears has been the protagonist of a terrible story about modern enslavery, and her fans have been clamoring for her freedom.
Now, Britney might be more famous than the rest of us, and her case could be more extreme, and a lot of women in the world are going through some of these 5 struggles:
Britney was not taken seriously. Despite being a mega star, during the past decade we knew almost nothing about Britney´s feelings, desires or needs. She was kept silent by everybody near her. Even when she raised her voice to demand her life back (as any other human being would), everybody assumed that she was insane. People all over the world decided to be indifferent, and sometimes indifference means complicity.
People made jokes during her mental breakdown. Do you remember that bald Britney going directly to self-destruction? It could have been postpartum depression, divorce issues, or the terrible feeling of losing control over her own life, in any case: nobody offered her some help and compassion. There’s SO much pressure in the music industry… mental illness or being vulnerable should no longer be a reason for being ridiculed.
She was denied her privacy. She had to deal with paparazzi who were following her every step. Britney just wanted to be left alone for a minute and be treated as a normal person. Why was it so difficult? She deserved peace and respect.
She was victimized by a patriarchal culture. Britney’s father, her lawyers, managers, doctors and some people on her own team benefited from a system that gave them a lot of money, at the cost of someone else’s life. The pop singer was forced to have an IUD, and to take medicines she didn’t want to. She had no control over her finances, her property or her body. She was constantly gaslighted! And she’s not alone in that field. Ask Mariah Carey.
She was not able to stop, even when she really needed to. And that sounds pretty overwhelming. Vacations seemed like an impossible luxury! She’s been forced to perform against her will and she didn’t have any sayings on her own shows! When someone says no, and it’s not respected, that’s abuse or violence.
Recently, Britney’s father said he will step down from his role. That seems a victory for the pop singer. Will it be the beginning of her freedom or a mediatic trap?