For those who have not heard what has been going on in the life of Britney Spears, for the past thirteen years, she has been under what is known as a conservatorship. According to The New Yorker, a conservatorship is “a legal structure in which a person’s personal, economic, and legal-decision making power is ceded to others.” A conservatorship is “an arrangement that is intended for people who cannot take care of themselves.” The conservatorship was originally put in place due to personal struggles that she was facing, which caused her judgment in making decisions to be off. However, Spears has had much growth since the conservatorship was originally put in place, which has been a main factor as to why she, as well as her “free Britney” fans, have fought for her to be free from this controlling arrangement.
Mostly, Britney has been fighting for her father to be removed as one of the conservators. On June 23rd, Spears was finally granted her time in court to share how truly controlling the conservatorship has been for her, as she has not been allowed by her team to discuss it with anyone. Her life has been controlled from what she is allowed to post on social media, to her own body, as according to NPR, she has an IUD, in which she said, “I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they…don’t want me to have children.” In court, Britney was completely open and honest about what living under the conservatorship had been like, according to NPR, when talking about her father, she said, “the control he had over someone as powerful as me, he loved the control to hurt his own daughter, 100,000%. He loved it.” This shows that her father has encouraged the conservatorship to continue not because of his concern for his daughter, but rather that he benefits from and enjoys having complete control over Britney.
Britney also shared what going on tour has been like under this conservatorship. She discussed how in 2018, she had been forced to go on tour and work incessantly, and if she didn’t, she would be punished in one way or another, such as “not being able to see her kids or boyfriend.” Her team, especially her father, have financially benefited from her conservatorship, as it was her money and success that offered them a place to live, as well as financial support. Through hearing Britney’s heart-breaking testimony, it is evident that the conservatorship that she is under has resulted in a complete loss of freedom and control over her own life.
This conservatorship needs to be completely removed as Britney is now 39 years old, and has shown that she is not the same person that she was 13 years ago, and that she deserves to have control over her own body, schedule, and finances. However, the court did not agree, and chose not make a motion for the conservatorship to change at all. However, there has been a win in the fight for Spears’ freedom, as according to NPR, “Jamie Spears has filed a document in Los Angeles Superior Court agreeing to step down as the conservator of his daughter’s estate.” Even though this has not been a complete win for Spears, finally being able to speak her truth, as well as her father finally stepping down, has been a step towards her freedom. This is because, for the first time, the public has finally been able to hear how controlling and limiting in freedom this conservatorship has been for Spears, as well as that with her father gone, he will no longer be able to control and micro-manage her life, while he benefits from it.
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1009858617/britney-spears-transcript-court-hearing-conservatorship
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1009726455/britney-spears-conservatorship-how-thats-supposed-to-work
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/12/1027223521/jamie-spears-steps-down-britney-spears-conservatorship
https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/britney-spears-conservatorship-nightmare