Why everybody should watch Framing Britney Spears

Why everybody should watch Framing Britney Spears

4th March 2021 Off By Holly Allton

Copyright: Red Arrow Studios

Since being a young girl, I’ve always admired Britney Spears for her iconic fashion choices and her raw talent, but since the release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary, I respect her even more.

This is because the documentary – presented by The New York Times – opens our eyes on the misogynistic world of showbiz in the noughties, and allows us to fully understand what Britney experienced at the hands of many people in the industry.

The #FreeBritney movement gathered interest from people all over the world, including myself, and allowed us to look deeper into Britney’s life. This movement, is the main reason why people are talking about Britney again, and most likely was the driving force towards this documentary being made. As the #FreeBritney movement became bigger and more widely discussed, we discovered that Britney is under a conservatorship, a legal arrangement. This means that her father is in charge of her finances, something which is touched upon many times during the documentary and is debated on whether or not it is needed.

The documentary chronologically takes us through situations and moments in Britney’s life and career which were detrimental to her mental health, and incorrectly handled by the media and those around her. Starting with Britney’s early beginnings of fame and ending with where she is at now, the documentary delivered exclusive interviews and footage, which helped to illustrate the points that were being made.

Britney has been in the spotlight from an incredibly young age, which no doubt has had a negative impact on her growth and development as a person. This is prominent within many child stars, such as Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes. The fact this is a reoccurrence for child stars, displays how much more needs to be done to protect them, not only as children but as adults too. However, that does not mean taking away their independence and right to responsibility, in my opinion. As Britney became a ‘teen idol’, she was pressured to be a role model, all while the media picked up on her faults and flaws. The documentary illustrates, however, that the media were also sexualising her, which was not appropriate and is a problem that many females in the limelight face.

The documentary also looked at Britney’s high-profile relationship with Justin Timberlake, and the aftermath of their eventual break-up. After the documentary aired, Justin issued an apology to both Britney Spears and Janet Jackson for his behaviour and misconduct towards them. As a former fan of Justin, it was interesting to learn of his mistakes, something I had looked past previously, as it had never been pinpointed until now.

Most famously, Britney’s breakdown in 2007 was focussed on during the documentary. It showed the viewers reasons and actions of others, such as consistent stalking by the paparazzi, that led her to the breakdown. Chris Crocker, shone a light on the fact that Britney was struggling, when he posted an emotional plea on YouTube to ‘leave Britney alone’ in 2007.  Yet, he was mocked, and it is only now that people are realising that they should have listened to him. Chris isn’t mentioned in the documentary, however the fact that he opened up the conversation originally, needs to be remembered.

Fans of Britney, and other members of the public who have taken an interest in how Britney has been treated, just want to know if Britney is okay and is not suffering from any form of abuse. Regardless of her superstardom, all anyone wants (especially in the current day – where ‘Be Kind’ is a phrase often used), is for celebrities to be treated as actual human beings and to not be exploited. I feel that whether you are a fan of Britney or not, everybody should watch this documentary, especially those of us wanting to build careers within the media industry, to educate ourselves on the wrong doing of others, and enforce change going forward.

Framing Britney Spears is available on Now TV, with a subscription.