Unless you live under a rock, you probably know who Britney Spears is, but what you might not know is that she almost no control of her life. She is under a conservatorship that gives her father, James Spears, control of basically everything in her life. He controls things like her money, health, day-to-day things, and fans and celebs have raised awareness using this hashtag and are petitioning to support her.
According to an Instagram post by @diet_prada here are a couple of things Britney, a 38-year-old woman, can’t do without permission from her father: get married, have children, drive a car, leave her house, use a cell phone without being monitored, see how her money is being spent, and more.
So, what exactly is this conservatorship? Britney has to ask the conservator “to sign off on every major decision she makes, from business, to health to voting and marriage.” In 2016, a New York Times article wrote, “her most mundane purchases, from a drink at Starbucks to a song on iTunes, are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control.”
Let’s go back a couple years, Britney was first placed under conservatorship in October 2008, after her globally known mental breakdown. She was put on an involuntarily psychiatric hold at UCLA. Then she was place under the conservatorship of her dad and an attorney.
Then in March of 2019, the attorney resigned, and Britney’s father temporarily relieved himself of his duties in September. Britney’s care manager, Jodie Montgomery, took over as the conservator. Montgomery will remain Britney’s conservator until August 22, 2020.
After the attorney resigned as co-conservator, it was reported that Britney was hospitalized and held against her will in an order made by her father, for refusing to take her medicine.
By this point, the #FreeBritney movement really took off. In April, fans held a protest outside West Hollywood City Hall, where Britney was checked in to by her father.
The #FreeBritney protest is happening right now outside West Hollywood City Hall pic.twitter.com/S60ZQIEYmf
— Greg W (@gregw_dj) April 22, 2019
Britney responded to the fans with a statement on Instagram, to say that things are getting out of control and her family and team are receiving death threats.
However, fans are reading into this post, they are consistently looking for signs that show she is asking for help. For example, in a TikTok she posted, someone commented “if you need help wear yellow in your next video.”
Y’all…. this is not good..#freebritney pic.twitter.com/FjeTKbqDJq
— ✥ (@iatemuggles) July 13, 2020
Britney has been wanting to get out of this conservatorship for quite some time, but Britney’s family think it is the best option for her and her family.
What do you think of Britney’s conservatorship?
Let us know in the comments below!