She has performed on record and on stage, shared videos on Instagram, but Britney Spears hadn’t really been heard speaking on her own behalf for a long time before the remarks she gave in June to demand the end of the event. ‘a guardianship that she deemed criminal. The struggle for her freedom – led among others through the #FreeBritney movement – marked the past year.
“The people who did this to me shouldn’t be able to get away with this easily,” said Britney Spears, addressing a Los Angeles court on June 23 to demand an end to her guardianship. lived for 13 years. “My father,” she explained further, “and all those involved in this supervision and my management, who played a big role in punishing me when I said no, they should be in prison. ”
She was unsuccessful at that time. This speech was however a turning point, judge Sandrine Galand, author of the essay Pop feminism, which closely followed the whole affair. “This is about the only time that we have had access to the word of Britney Spears,” she observes. Until then, his story was mostly told by others.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Hélène Laurin, writer-designer and executive producer at Savoir Média
This testimony “sounded a wake-up call”, also believes Hélène Laurin, editor-designer and executive producer at Savoir Média, who was also interested in this story that she describes as “tragic”. Fans of the singer had already done a lot to highlight the star’s situation with the #FreeBritney movement. Her articulate testimony, full of aplomb and contained anger, showed that this woman whom her entourage discredited did indeed have her mind.
Signs of distress
Britney Spears lived under guardianship for 13 years. Her personal setbacks, the episode where she shaved her hair, her run-ins with the paparazzi and her performance considered confusing at the MTV Music Awards in 2007 actually suggested that she was “in distress”, recalls Hélène Laurin. “When her father arrived, we thought, Britney will be saved,” she said. It was over time that we realized that it made no sense, this tutelage. ”
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Sandrine Galand, author of the book Pop feminism
By shaving off her hair, which is the root of femininity, especially for a pop star, Britney Spears murdered her own character a bit and she drew attention to how we label women, and how we consume them. .
Sandrine Galand, author of the essay Pop feminism
There is no doubt for Hélène Laurin and Sandrine Galand that the star was judged as well because she is a woman. “We were extremely intractable with Britney Spears and [on l’est] with women in public space in general. The double standard is still there, ”says the author of Pop feminism. Justin Bieber has also experienced personal setbacks highly publicized in recent years, without his abilities being called into question, notes Hélène Laurin.
ARCHIVE IMAGE
The tabloids did not spare the star. When she shaved her head in 2007, the photos made the front pages of magazines.
Popular mobilization
What the two observers also remember is the impact of the mobilization which manifested itself in popular support and documentaries which deepened the situation of the pop star, including Framing Britney Spears and Britney vs Spears. “It was the #FreeBritney movement that catalyzed public interest in documentaries. It also made the guardians panic, ”says Sandrine Galand.
And while it remains difficult to separate the true from the false in this whole story, the movement of sympathy it has generated suggests that society has changed a bit since Britney Spears’ debut, more than 20 years ago. “The way we look at mental health issues and the very principle of supervision have evolved,” believes Sandrine Galand.
PHOTO PATRICK T. FALLON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Gathering of the #FreeBritney movement in Los Angeles, in November
The advent of social networks, through which stars can speak directly to their fans, also allows them to have better control over their story and their image. Today’s young stars, from Ariana Grande to Billie Eilish to Taylor Swift, use it to speak out, assert their identity and their positions. “It is well seen to assert oneself, to carry messages, to challenge […], whereas before, you had to be smooth, ”says Hélène Laurin.
“We should not stop being offended by his tutelage because we judge that Britney Spears was not disabled enough to deserve this kind of treatment, however, warns Sandrine Galand. We have to think hard and tell ourselves that no one should be stripped of their human rights. ”