I entered Gifts from The New York Times: Framing Britney Spears thinking, I’ll see what they have to say, but what will this documentary really tell me that I still don’t know? I was a teenager at the height of her success and MTV Total Request Live it was nothing less than a formative experience for me. I have a navel piercing. I traveled across the country to witness the Las Vegas residency. I may not be bold enough to call myself an expert, but if I was on a curiosity night and the subject was Britney Spears, I am confident that I would have this round scheduled. And then I watched this documentary, and it changed everything I thought I knew.
Not so much Armando Britney Spears taught me a ton I didn’t already know about her career, but shit it opened my eyes, especially seeing the events of 20 years ago through today’s lenses. I admit that I also went through this experience quite skeptical about the #FreeBritney movement. Sometimes it looks like it was blown out of proportion or a little dramatic and we all know the danger of spreading conspiracy theories over the internet today. But my mind has definitely changed on the subject, and not only does it feel legitimate and more urgent than ever, but yet another example that, despite the song on their 2000 album, perhaps What U See is no always what you get.
This document immediately establishes its credibility with the inclusion of Felicia Culotta, or Fe, as Britney’s longtime fans will know her. It is especially notable that she takes us into her life today as well as her career with Britney and how that has changed over the years, while remaining bright, cheerful and optimistic and never making direct or condemning statements in a direction or that of others. She makes it clear that her participation in the documentary is to “remind people why they fell in love with her in the first place”, and in this mission, she is very successful.
However, what didn’t take long to be clear is that we, the people, have failed Britney. Similar to last month Tiger documentary, this is a crude and brutal exploration of fame in America and precisely that dangerous game that it always proves to be. In fact, this story is even more confusing and certainly more worrying. Britney has not had her return – yet. Although what this special exhibition may be the key to help you achieve this.
While the first few moments provide first-hand accounts that suggest Britney was not the puppet they believed to be in the early stages of her career, then it becomes frightening to witness the way the media, and therefore all of us, treated this young woman. The misogyny of the early 2000s will make you sick to your stomach. It is disgusting that journalists (usually male, of course) find it within their rights to ask curious and private questions about their breasts, body and virginity. But we ate then. Ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake is always an easy target, but he’s implicated here too, early in his solo career, when he was desperate to be accepted, through a clip of him making an idiotic comment on a radio show – one that would not clear today. Britney was judged on every choice she made and no one seemed to stop. When Kendel Ehrlich, wife of the former Maryland governor, openly said that shoot Britney, the instinctive and innocent response from the pop star of “ew” is as genuine and succinct as possible. This documentary shows more than one interview in which Britney starts to cry and I think we just … watched it?
Its fall is narrated with precision as the careless circus it was, but due to the rapid succession of the clips, viewers can watch while the light leaves their eyes. It’s there at the beginning of the relationship with Kevin Federline, but in the end, along with his hair, it’s over.
In addition to Felicia, those who worked with Britney at the height of her career weigh in, including Decider’s friend and former MTV VJ Dave Holmes, as well as New York Times editors, music and media professionals, paparazzi and lawyers. They all paint a picture for which it is very, very difficult not to feel guilty. Even though we didn’t contribute directly, we didn’t help when she was clearly calling for it. As a fan, I feel like an accomplice. The images of the night with the umbrella are difficult to see, but impossible to avoid. I remember being on spring break in the Bahamas at the time and seeing that image on the cover of a tabloid in a small market where you weren’t allowed to browse magazines unless you bought them. Imagine getting away from that image! But I did. I couldn’t believe it was true and not would you like to believe it was true. And I can’t believe that we missed that point.
But we did, and Framing Britney Spears explains exactly why: it is likely that Britney was suffering from a severe case of postpartum depression, but we just gaped at her shaved head and laughed at the countless jokes about it. This says everything about the treatment of women, the most famous in America, and it will surely make you wonder: what did we hope to achieve with this? What would be the expected result? Why don’t we help? And what can we do to make up for it now?
Britney’s father Jamie Spears enters, who starts to get involved when his health is more fragile than ever and, as the documentary suggests, probably for his own financial interests. That’s when guardianship begins. Framing Britney Spears provides a context for Jamie’s interest and involvement in her daughter’s life throughout her career that hasn’t really been stated so explicitly up to this point. The lawyers here, with degrees of involvement on both sides of Britney and Jamie, do a great job explaining in detail the specific elements of a guardianship case, while emphasizing the huge legal impact this could have in the coming years – both in your life and in future cases as well. Fans concerned about their safety and freedom as part of the #FreeBritney campaign are also interviewed outside the courtroom, showing their support with homemade pink neon signs.
The only thing that this heartbreaking, infuriating and revealing documentary knows for sure is that this moment is, and should be, a wake-up call. You will hear the phrase “we don’t know what we don’t know” more than once and that is the most true and saddest fact. We don’t know what your current state of mind is today – we only know what it used to be, what we hope it will be and the potential that remains. We cannot know for sure whether Jamie’s control is harmful, although there is little evidence that it is necessary or beneficial. We know that there must be an agreement that can be reached that feels safe and satisfying to Britney, her father and her fans.
The documentary also wisely addresses your Instagram, which is regularly analyzed for clues about your well-being, your desires and your current stability. I want to believe that the selfies and the dances and the questions and answers and the fashion modeling videos and the random ones like hell, the emoji captions are from a happy and even contented woman. But please know that it will be a real challenge to maintain that belief after watching this.
Framing Britney Spears it is a must-see not just for Britney fans, but for anyone with the slightest interest in modern pop culture. It presents as many questions as it answers, and it may be our responsibility to conduct the conversation or protests outside the courtroom after seeing this. It is impossible to emerge without feeling extreme guilt for the way it was treated, growth for what we now consider acceptable (although there is still a lot of work to be done) and, ultimately, an urgency for this unique situation. This document can and should inspire many important conversations in the legal, music and media sectors. Framing Britney Spears it’s fun to watch, but even more than that, it’s shocking and, hopefully, motivating.
#FreeBritney
Chain Gifts from The New York Times: Framing Britney Spears in FX and Hulu