Britney Spears was one of the most popular singers of the 2000s. With hits such as ‘Toxic’ and ‘Baby One More Time,’ Spears quickly climbed the charts and became an unforgettable singer with a unique sound. However, in 2021, many of her fans are worried about Spears’ well-being and safety.
The hashtag “#FreeBritney” has been all over social media, with fans concerned that Spears is being held against her will and that she has been hiding S.O.S. hints in her videos on Instagram and TikTok.
Spears had a public mental breakdown in 2008 in which the singer shaved her head and smashed a car window with an umbrella. Ever since then, Spears has been living under a legal conservatorship. Her affairs are handled by a trust, led by her father, Jaime Spears. There’s a #FreeBritney petition on change.org with over 100,000 signatures to possibly get the singer the help that she needs. According to the petition, “her father doesn’t allow her to drive, all of her calls and messages are monitored, she’s not allowed to vote, hang out with anyone, or spend money without permission.”
Spears has been making strange videos on Instagram and TikTok since summer 2020 of her doing weird dances and acting almost as if she’s in a type of trance. Fans have been commenting on her videos to ‘wear yellow in your next video’ or ‘mention the word fruit in your next video.’ All of these things that her fans have been telling her to do, she’s been doing. Fans have also created a conspiracy theory that she is being held captive and is being forced to do things.
“I don’t know if the whole thing is true,” said freshmen psychology major Andy Jones. “I believe that some parts have been exaggerated, but no one should ever assume that someone is lying about being in a dangerous situation like that.”
The Star Newspaper claimed, “to thousands of fans, Britney is no longer a pop star – she’s a prisoner.”
“I think there is a high possibility of this being true,” said sophomore social work major Franchesca Ross. “Especially if her decisions are affecting money because people love money.”
Crowd Surf – the company behind Spears’ marketing team – cofounder Cassie Petrey stated in a social media post, “Britney has stated many times that she creates the posts, but people continue to believe conspiracy theories over what she says over and over again. Britney is not ‘asking for help’ or ‘leaving secret messages’ in social media. She is literally just living her life and trying to have fun on Instagram.”
Whether Britney Spears is in a dangerous situation or not is something that is not known to the public right now. Her fans hope that she is safe and not in any danger. While it might be a coincidence that after her fans have asked her to wear yellow in her next video, she wears yellow, it might also be a cry for help. If Spears is in any danger, we hope that she’ll get help soon.
Graphic by Micheal Yelton
