After waiting 13 years to be free of the conservatorship placed over her by request of her father, Britney Spears was finally granted that freedom on Thursday. Jamie Spears was suspended as the 39-year-old singer’s conservator by a Los Angeles judge, and no longer in control of her financial assets, career or personal life. Speaking outside the court, Britney’s attorney said the suspension marked the end of a ‘decade-long nightmare’ for the singer.
Britney said she was ‘on cloud nine’ on the day the news broke, and celebrated her life being back in her own hands by taking a holiday (and who wouldn’t?!) with her fiancé Sam Asghari, who posted a video of their boat trip with the caption, ‘Time to celebrate’.
One of Britney’s first post-conservatorship posts was a carousel of nude and topless images (with emojis to preserve her modesty) with the caption, ‘Playing in the Pacific never hurt anybody’. But while the majority of the singer’s 34 million followers were as thrilled for Britney as she was with her photo dump (it got 2.6 million likes, in fact), many of them were quick to judge.
One commenter wrote, ‘Jesus Britney. What is going on???’, another wrote, ‘I wish you didnt feel the need to do this’ and another added: ‘I wish the free Britney was just a little classier than this’.
After years of being restricted in every aspect of her life, down to being forced into using contraception when she has said that she wants a baby, it feels almost unbelievable that people feel the need to continue attempting to control Britney’s narrative - particularly when it comes to her body. This isn’t the first time that Britney has posted topless or nude images to her account, and it’s not the first time her followers have flooded the comments with criticisms, often laced with concern that they are symptomatic of a deeper issue.
Yet it seems that posting topless photographs has become a way for Britney to express herself. Her first topless Instagram post came just days after she was finally granted permission to hire her own legal representation for the first time in 13 years. After commenters expressed their concern that someone other than Britney was posting these photos, she explained the meaning behind the topless posts, confirming that they have been a deliberate attempt to reclaim her body after years of feeling self-conscious and weighed down by the pressures of performing. 'In my opinion it's quite twisted the immediate response of when any woman is hot and they want to shed a layer ... is DAMN I FEEL BETTER … therefore you think you look better !!!' She added, 'I honestly feel like the weight of the would has been on my shoulders and it’s made me view myself that way !!!! I wanted to see myself in a lighter way … naked … like the way I was born.'
For a woman who has lived her life being so aggressively monitored, these images are simply a way for Britney to take control and authority back. She feels free, so why don’t we let her enjoy it? Why don't people try listening to Britney, for once.
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