For 13 years, Britney Spears has not been in control of her own life or fortune. In 2008, a conservatorship was enacted by the Los Angeles Superior Court, granting her estate, all financial assets and various personal ones to her father, Jamie Spears.
In recent years, the #FreeBritney movement has resurfaced the internet, with concerned fans speculating about Britney's safety. Female disruptors, from an everyday TikTok user to Madonna, are heading the Britney Movement.
On June 22, 2021, Britney found her voice after a decade of staying silent when she publicly asked the court to put an end to her abusive conservatorship.
Breaking Down the Pop Star’s 13-year Conservatorship
2007: Approx. One Year Before Conservatorship
The “leave Britney alone” video went viral around the same time the infamous head-shaving went down.
Today, internet celebrity Chris Crocker weighs in saying that he’s happy that Britney is finally able to use her voice. "I feel like today is about Britney being able to be heard and what she wants to say and her getting her freedom and her happiness back," Crocker said in a TikTok video.
Feb. 1, 2008
Britney is committed to two psychiatric hospitals and several rehab centers. These instances led to the conservatorship decision. At this point, Britney was 27 years old with two children and a net worth of about $42 million.
July 31, 2008
The courts decided to extend Britney’s conservatorship for 4 more months, or until the end of the year. But this agreement was voided when two months before 2009, the courts extended the conservatorship indefinitely.
Sept. 27, 2016
For the first time since its enactment, Britney publicly addressed the conservatorship on the Jonathan Ross Show. She explained how she felt that many decisions were made for her and she wanted her ninth studio album, Glory, to be all hers.
Jan. 4, 2019
Britney takes a break from performing when her father Jamie Spears becomes ill. This decision, along with many others, makes one wonder whether she was forced by her father to take a hiatus because, for the first time since 2008, he was incapable of controlling her every move.
April 3, 2019
Britney checks into a mental health treatment center, which at first appears to be a coping mechanism to deal with her father’s illness. Was this a cry for help? When we fast forward to Sept. 2020, Britney acknowledges the #FreeBritney movement with love and appreciation.
In Nov. 2020, Britney explains to the courts that she is afraid of her father and will not resume her career until he no longer controls it.
Feb. 11, 2021
The pleads continue. Britney uses her voice asking for her father to no longer be her conservator.
June 22, 2021 - Present
“I want my life back.” --Britney Spears
The Power of Female Disruption: Some Celebrities Who Support the #FreeBritney Movement
- Madonna: “Give this woman her life back ... Britney, we (are) coming to get you out of jail.”
- Christina Aguilera: “Every woman must have the right to her own body, her own reproductive system, her own privacy, her own space, her own healing and her own happiness.”
- Miley Cyrus shouts “Free Britney!” at a Las Vegas Concert and waves a supportive sign at Lollapalooza.
- Khloe Kardashian: “No one should be treated like this. Stay Strong Queen!! You deserve better.”
- Mariah Carrey: “We love you Britney!!! Stay Strong”
The years of staying quiet are over for Britney Spears as she finally challenges the system that failed her for so many years. In this constantly growing age of innovation and digital, all of us have the ability to be journalists and control the narrative.
The power of social media and disruption for the good
The hashtag #FreeBritney has 1.7 billion views on TikTok and 481K posts on Instagram. People are talking and the world is listening. To join the conversation and start disrupting, visit https://www.freebritney.army/.
