Britney Spears, who has been in court since last week, spoke out publicly about her 13-year conservatorship. It was a notoriously difficult and allegedly abusive period of her life. She testified for 24 minutes that Jamie Spears, her father, enjoyed controlling her life. After hearing her cry, she said that she was ready to sue her family and that her conservators should be jailed. She stated that she just wanted her life back. It's been thirteen years. It's enough. It's been a while since I have owned my money. It is my wish and my goal that all this should be over without any testing.AdvertisementNumerous celebrities and collaborators, from Christina Aguilera through Iggy Azalea have come out to support the pop icon. People who are part of the #FreeBritney movement, which has been vocal in their support of Spears' conservatorship situation, are particularly vocal after her public statements. Fans who are most dedicated to finding evidence of abuse have spent years scouring every avenue in an attempt to find signs that Spears' conservatorship is harmful. Due to the speculative nature of many of its actions in the years that Spears conservatorship started, this group isn't without its controversy.AdvertisementAdvertisementSubscribe to the Slate Culture newsletter and receive the best movies, TV, books and music delivered straight to your inbox. Signing you up was not possible due to an error Please try again. To use this form, please enable jаvascript. Email address: I would like to receive updates on Slate special offers. You agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms by signing up. Thank you for signing up! You can cancel your subscription at any time.The flurry response to Spears's description of being 100 percent abused has forced both Spears fans as well as these #FreeBritney long-time supporters to confront not only the truth about Spears' circumstances but also the politics of her celebrity statement. Spears' seemingly unabashed support and autonomy from both fans and detractors begs the question of who these responses are serving and to what end. That is a big question. Even though some of the most prominent Instagram stories and Twitter threads offering support to Spears are genuine, others may be fueled by a compulsive need for virtue-signalas can often be the case during media stirs, what does sharing those words with the public via carefully constructed social media statements tell us about the nature online of performative activism? This is something the #FreeBritney people and other mega Spears defenders have been litigating since Spears' statements.AdvertisementWe analyzed some celebrity reactions to Spears' testimony and Spears megafans reaction, in order to discover what fans want from Spears supporters when it comes time to speak out about the stars vulnerability in the face hardship.Christina AguileraRelationship with Britney Spears The show also featured Justin Timberlake, with whom Spears had a infamous relationship. The similarities in their careers don't end there. The pair made a huge splash on the music scene together. Spears with 1998's Baby One More Times and Aguilera, 1999's Genie In a Bottle, were both regularly at the top of charts. This set them up for constant comparisons in an industry that is based in part upon sexualizing, commodifying and dehumanizing women.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe media-driven rivalry between them peaked at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance. Madonna was seen kissing Britney first. However, after Madonna had shown Britney kiss Britney, the cameras cut to Timberlake (Spears ex) for a reaction shot. Aguilera said that while it seemed like she was having a contentious relationship, Britney used to be someone she shared hands with. The Mickey Mouse Club was a silly club that brought us together as little girls. It has been quite a journey for us both! We have supported each other publicly in our friendship ever since.AdvertisementWhat she said: Aguilera posted a tweet thread earlier this week in which she described her shock at learning and reading about Spears' unacceptable conservatorship. She also expressed her desire for Spears to have the freedom she desires. Every woman should have the right to control her body, her reproductive system, privacy, space, healing, and happiness. Britney is my heartfelt condolences. She is deserving of all the love and support she can get.AdvertisementReaction: Both Britney and Christina fans were quick to praise the Beautiful singer for her statement. They also acknowledged the closeness between the two, proving that Aguilera's claim was more sincere than many. One user tweeted, "I know thats right, my Millennium Queens," along with a photo of the couple from their days at Mickey Mouse Club. Another user wrote that the statement is filled with sincerity and empathy. Legends supporting legends. Another wrote that the statement is filled with empathy and sincerity. This is why I've always been team Britney *and* Christina and why I wont forgive a toxic media culture that made us pick teams, tweeted Simon Curtis, actor and songwriter.Justin TimberlakeRelationship with Britney Spears: Timberlake and Spears dated from 1999 to 2002, after they met on Mickey Mouse Club as teens. They are both remembered for the denim look they wore on the red carpet. After that, not much happened in public until their split. Timberlake released Cry Me a River, his supposed revenge song, in which he sings of being hurt by a partner's cheating. The general consensus was that he was singing to Spears, since they had just split up (the music video even features an Spears-like look), which quickly destroyed the small-town, girl-friendly image she had created since her Disney days.AdvertisementAdvertisementOne critic said that Timberlake was in a frenzy, with her blaming herself for so much pain and suffering. Timberlake's apparent references to Spears didn't stop there. Timberlake's 2006 single, What Goes Around Comes Around, was also said to be about Spears. Timberlake also said at the 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions that he may have dated a few Madonna wannabes. Tabloids quickly interpreted this as referring Spears.What he said: Timberlake took to Twitter to express his support for Spears after apologizing to Janet Jackson and Britney Spears on Instagram in February. This was 19 years after Cry Me a River won him a Grammy. It also brought on years of abuse from the media and public. He wrote that no matter what our past was, it doesn't matter what happened to us in the present. It is wrong for women to be prevented from making her own decisions about their bodies. Nobody should ever be held against their will.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementReaction: It would be an understatement to say that Timberlake supporters are skeptical after all the time Spears spent with them. Fuck Justin Timberlake. He took advantage of Britney's downfall, and now he wants his voice to be heard when Britney hits rock bottom. Bye, tweeted Ernest Owens, editor-at-large of Philadelphia magazine. Timberlake was also criticized by Twitter users for appearing to ride again on Spears' coattails. This helped to boost his status and tend to his bruised public image after he tweeted. Although you played a part in this, you are not a hero simply because you're talking about it now to get good press and be portrayed as a hero. A user commented that they understood what you were trying to accomplish. The AUDACITY. Justin Timberlake Suddenly Concerned Shows Support for Britney Spears after Years of Misogyny and A Grammy For A 5-Minute Songs About Her, tweeted Bossip, a Black entertainment magazine.Perez HiltonRelationship with Britney Spears: Morgan Jerkins is an author and senior culture editor at ESPN. Perez Hilton was best described as a Spears bully. He used the secrets and traumas of famous women in the entertainment business, such as Spears, to spread gossip on his blog.AdvertisementAdvertisementAlthough it would be impossible to list every Hilton infraction against Spears's, it is clear that Hiltons intentions towards her were to humiliate her and make a profit from that humiliation. He even sold out-of-control photos of Spears in the 2000s. He said that she wanted the photo taken in a 2006 interview with ABC News. She wants publicity. She wants the publicity. Hilton called her an embarrassment in TMI: My life in Scandal in 2020.AdvertisementHe said this: Hilton, in an interview with Sky News, stated that he has grown from the criticisms he received from Spears only one year ago. I am sorry that I didn't express myself as well. He said that he didn't show empathy or compassion. He said that he did not lead with empathy and compassion.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe reaction: Just like Timberlake's fans, Spears' fans were quick to criticize Hilton for his sudden heart change (or hypocrisy). It's crazy how justin timberlake and perez hilton got their careers elevated by publicly humiliating Britney. Then decades later, they come out and say that they support her not because of compassion but because of guilt. One user tweeted that perez monetized photos of Britney and justin won a grammy because she shammed her. Hilton was not the only one to be criticized. Are you not aware of the successful career she built on her back. Roxane Gay, author, responded to Hilton's tweets. One Twitter user called Hilton out on his video of apology, writing: If you really regret, spend your money where it is. Hilton said that his therapist advised him to donate all the wealth he had earned from misogynistic bullying. Hilton's response was, according to many, exactly the kind of virtue signaling that Hilton wanted.AdvertisementOthers questioned the role Hilton played in placing Spears in conservatorship. Perez Hilton spread the belief that Britney was crazy, unmanageable, and dangerous to her kids for many years. He also manipulated images for clicks. Jamie Spears wouldn't be as popular today without Perez Hilton. It is impossible to deny that the sky is blue," tweeted Estefania Tifi Pessoa (TikTokker, host at InStyle).Jamie Lynn SpearsBritney Spears' relationship with Jamie Lynn: Jamie Lynn is Britney's younger sister. She was a child star and acted in Nickelodeon's All That and Zoey 101. The older Spears helped her to write and record the theme tune. Jamie Lynn, Britney's conservatorship petitioner, was accused by her fans of not speaking out about Britney's situation. She wrote that you have no right to assume anything regarding my sister. I also have no right to discuss HER personal and health matters. She is a strong, tough, unstoppable, determined woman. That's all that's OBVIOUS.AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat she said: Jamie Lynn Spears posted some very personal videos to her Instagram account to express her view after being criticized by fans for not speaking out on Britney's conservatorship issue following Britneys hearing. She said that while I may not have supported her in the manner the public would prefer, using a hashtag on a public platform to do so, I can assure her that I have supported her since before the hashtag was invented and will continue to support her. I don't care if she decides to go to the rainforest to have zillions of babies, or if her goal is to return to the top and rule the world as she has done so many times. I don't have anything to lose or gain either way. Because I have nothing to lose or gain from this situation, I am not affected. This is the only person to whom I owe anything. I am not my family. I am my own person. I love my sister. I have always loved my sister.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBritney fans weren't impressed, despite Jamie Lynns best efforts. One user tweeted that Jamie Lynn supporting Britney was like going to HR and being told they support you. Others felt that Jamie Lynn's timing was what threw them off. It's funny how Jamie Lynn lies about loving her sister, and then [Christina Aguilera] makes an amazing statement that Britney deserves TRUE LOVE. One user tweeted. Jamie Lynn's comment about Britneys situation not affecting her was the final straw for many. It doesn't matter if your sister is denied human rights. It doesn't matter if your sister is denied the right to marry and reproduce. Someone tweeted that your sister being forced to perform and drugged against her will doesn't affect you. The verdict of the #FreeBritney most vocal supporters was clear at the end. The Twitter account of Feminists Without Mystique recorded the hashtag #FreeBritney. Jamie Lynn Spears's Instagram response appears completely selfish, defensive and misdirected.Kevin FederlineRelationship with Britney Spears: Federline is Spears' ex-husband. Federline used to be a backup dancer for Justin Timberlake. They met in 2004 at a club and Spears proposed to him three months later. Spears filed for divorce in 2006 from Federline. By 2007, they had reached an initial settlement which included joint custody of their two children. This was completed in July 2006, shortly before Spears' father took over her financial assets under conservatorship.AdvertisementThey have been co-parenting ever since. However, instead of the 50-50 schedule that they originally agreed to, Federline's and Spears' sons now split their time between them 70-30. Federline is responsible for 70 percent of the time, while Spears takes care of the children 70 percent.He said this: Federlines long-standing lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan stated that Federline wants her happy and healthy. Kevin also supports her in that goal. Kaplan stated that it doesn't matter how beneficial a conservatorship was if it had a detrimental effect on her mental health. Kaplan supports her living in the best environment possible for her and her children, as well as allowing them to visit her mother.AdvertisementKaplan also spoke out about Federlines views regarding the conservatorship in general. She said that while Federline has avoided being involved in it however, if Federline is able manage herself in a manner that does not jeopardize her or her children, Kevin would be happy for the conservatorship to be dissolved.AdvertisementAdvertisementReaction: Fans quickly made a big deal about Federlines ex-couples court record, highlighting the fact that it was an attack on her integrity. One user responded to the statement by tweeting that Britney's family and team forced her into an intervention facility and Kevin Federline was dragging the children in front of her like carrots weaponizing Britneys children and taking full custody. Some others brought up his dating history. One person tweeted: Seems to be that no one wants anyone to forget that Kevin was a liar from the beginning. He literally left his pregnant wife to go out with Britney and enjoy his 15 minutes fame.AdvertisementThe demand from #FreeBritney fans seems to be the exact same for all Spears relationships. One account, which was created, according to its bio to fight for Britney, tweeted: Jamie Lynn Spears, Kevin Federline, and all others involved know that we don't care about [their] support. Britney is out. Do you want to support her? You can petition Britney to end her fraudulent conservatorship.Spears's wishes are important, regardless of what others think or want. But, her own desires are clear. I ask for the end of the conservatorship. I am requesting to be granted a petition to end the conservatorship. I'm tired of feeling isolated. I have the right to all the rights that anyone else has by having a child, family, or any other thing.
