From ‘… Baby one more time’ to the infamous ‘Leave Britney alone’ video, Britney Spears has been under everyone’s radar since the early 90s. But fans are worried of something more sinister under her happy exterior.
Britney Spears has been a beloved icon since the 90s as many fans have been with her through the ups and downs of her celebrity life. We have watched her grow from her cute days of The Mickey Mouse Club to the infamous breakdown of the late 2000s. She has consistently been a part of our lives, celebrating massive feats like 9 Billboard Music Awards and snatching the top-earning female artist of 2012. Yet, despite her huge accomplishments, some fans are scrambling to save her from her own father.
A conservatorship is when a judge appoints a guardian to care for another adult, which includes managing personal and financial affairs due to mental and/or physical limitations. In this case, Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, acted as the former teen star’s conservator following her prolific breakdown in 2008. She is currently facing a legal battle in hopes to cease this restrictive dynamic.
Under this legal agreement, Jamie Spears had the ability to control every major and minor decision of the star’s life. Despite touring all over the world and earning millions of dollars, Britney is unable to carry out tasks as menial as driving without permission. She essentially has no control over her own finances and can be forcefully hospitalized. Even though the conservatorship was once used to protect Spear’s welfare, many fans now believe that her own father is exploiting the system under the guise of a conservatorship relationship.
The #FreeBritney campaign started to regain momentum when the podcast Britney’s Gram received an anonymous tip that she was hospitalized against her own will. And in the following months of this reveal, millions of fans have banded together to protest both offline and online on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
However, there is no circumstantial evidence to prove that Jamie Spears has committed any crimes. Britney herself has taken to social media address these concerns as she reassured that she was just her “being happy.”
Fans remain adamant that Britney is being mistreated and exploited as they believe her social media posts on Instagram and TikTok are made up of secret coded cries of help. Her own son and mother have also been found in liking posts supporting the #FreeBritney campaign.
The conservatorship has now moved onto Britney’s care manager, Jodi Montgomery, following Jamie Spear’s illness. However, the star is now looking to dissolve this agreement but the court dates have been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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