Demonstration of support for Britney Spears on March 17, 2021 in Los Angeles – David Buchan / Shutterstock / SIPA
Several dozen people gathered on March 17, 2021, in front of the Los Angeles Supreme Court, where
an audience bringing together the members of the Spears family. All fervently displayed their signs and T-shirts stamped “#FreeBritney” to demand the “release” of their idol, placed under the tutelage of his father, James Spears in 2008 following psychological disorders.
For more than ten years, these self-proclaimed vigilantes grouped behind a hashtag have been trying to clarify the gray areas that hover around the hold exerted by his father on Britney Spears. At 39, the singer is not allowed to go out, make purchases, get married, have children or buy a house without the consent of her father.
In its early days the #FreeBritney movement was made up mostly of fans accusing James Spears of holding his daughter hostage and taking advantage of her fortune. But the release of the documentary Framing Britney Spears, now available on Amazon Prime Video, directed by Samantha Stark, has brought the subject of guardianship back to the forefront and made it a serious cause to defend that goes beyond mere admiration for the music by Britney.
A hunt for clues
Already in 2019, the #FreeBritney movement had experienced a resurgence on social networks when the interpreter of Baby One More Time announced the cancellation of a series of concerts in Las Vegas before being admitted to a mental institution, “against her will”, according to a testimony broadcast by the podcast Britney’s Gram devoted to the Instagram account of Britney Spears.
From then on, fans learn the news and mobilize on social networks, the only place where the singer is accessible. Like the Marina Joyce affair, a YouTuber suspected of being held hostage at home, comments are emerging under the pop star’s Tiktok and Instagram posts. His supporters try to decipher the coded messages, emojis and other outfits perceived as so many calls for help. “Britney if you are in danger, dress in yellow in your next post”, claimed a user. And a few days later, Britney Spears posted a Tiktok message where we see her wearing … a yellow top with flowers. In this hunt for clues, which sometimes goes very far, everything is subject to interpretation.
Supports and apologies
At the end of March, the pop star who never spoke directly about the case reacted to the documentary Framing Britney Spears : “I didn’t watch it but from what I saw, I was embarrassed… I cried for two weeks and I still cry sometimes! She wrote in an Instagram post.
Since the documentary aired in the United States, stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, Courtney Love and Miley Cyrus have spoken to express their support. Elected officials from California and Trumpist Congressman for Florida Matt Gaetz also called for reform of the trusteeship system in the United States. Singer Justin Timberlake, former companion of the singer from 1998 to 2002, questioned by fans following the documentary also apologized to Britney Spears in an Instagram post: “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life when my actions have contributed to the problem, where I spoke without thinking or did not stand up for what was right. “