Therefore, what is the point of this program entitled Britney without filter ? He resides elsewhere, obviously. By asking the question “What happened to Britney Spears?”this mini-series parallels the journey of the star and the evolution of our society over the past 25 years. And the observation is clear: what happened to Britney Spears is the perfect reflection of this evolution. It’s striking when we know how much she has touched the heights as well as the abyss, all in the course of a chaotic life. What was supposed to be a fairy tale only appeared to be one. Seen through this prism, the same is true for our society.
In five episodes of twelve to fourteen minutes each, Jeanne Burrel, the director of this program, unfolds a quarter of a century of evolution in our society. It begins with the American dream, that of a little girl from Louisiana from a modest background who at five years old becomes a real star thanks to television. Britney Spears is a pure product (the word is not overused!) of the advent of all-powerful screens. THE Mickey Mouse Club, flagship program in the United States, of which she was the star, made her a good little soldier of America formatted correctly.
Video clips, which became the music industry’s new language of choice in the 1990s, propelled her to the top of the pop world in 1999, with her single and album… Baby One More Time. The star of the 21st century created from scratch.
But, from his second disc, Ooops ! … I Did It Again, the wind will turn. The ambitious and determined Britney is caught at her own game. At only eighteen years old, she becomes super sexy. Too much ? If for millennials, the famous Generation Y, she is the ultimate idol, others see in her the incarnation of evil, a representation of sexual debauchery. “Britney Spears is the guinea pig of modern celebrity, explains the miniseries. A body shaped by and for the eyes of others. This body, which has fallen into the public domain, is the symptom of a specific era, that of the 90s and the screens which impose themselves everywhere with the all-powerful television […]. A cathodic culture which, for millennials, will turn into an obsession.”
Added to this is the advent of reality TV which will also shake up the image of celebrities. “It’s the kingdom of transparency. You have to say everything, show everything”explains the mini-series. Direct consequence: the stars are desecrated. They come down from their pedestal by participating in these programs. Britney falls into the trap. With her boyfriend Kevin Federline, who would become her husband and the father of her children, she revealed her daily life to the camera in a program with a premonitory title: Britney and Kevin : Chaotic… “By wanting to show herself as she is, without cheating, Britney opened Pandora’s box.”
Britney Spears, 20 years of success, escapades and descent into hell
The rest, we know it. From being untouchable, stars are now tracked everywhere all the time, thanks to the smartphone that has become king and the Internet. Britney is no exception and it’s a descent into hell. Pursued by the paparazzi, her life and her setbacks no longer hold any secrets for anyone. It’s the shaved head episode. It is those around her who will ultimately signal the end of “recreation” by having her placed under guardianship.
“Circus”: perhaps Britney’s best
The architect of her own downfall, with the complicity of society as a whole, the singer sees her life confiscated for thirteen years. She owes her salvation to the advent of social networks; which is not the least of paradoxes. Because all her accounts were created in 2008 when she was placed under conservatorship. It was to exploit his image as best as possible, and in the most profitable way. What those behind these accounts did not anticipate was the power that these same networks gave to the vox populi, often for the worse, but also for the better. It is the appearance of the hashtag #FreeBritney and the mobilization to free the fallen star from the influence of those around her. Mission succeeded since in September 2021, Britney Spears’ father was placed under guardianship.
Britney Spears hangs up the mic: ‘I will never return to the music industry’
Since then, Britney has been writing her story on her Instagram account, with strange videos that are not always decipherable. As for the song, she said she won’t return to it. This does not prevent the rumor from mentioning a residency as she has already done in Las Vegas. With, who knows, a resurrection at stake? After all, the icon of the 2000s is only 43 years old.
