What’s Good in the ‘Wood? The #FreeBritney movement has an update that is definitely HollyGOOD news! USA Today reported on March 25 that Britney Spears has filed an official petition seeking to have her father removed as her conservator.
What does all that mean?
Well, for those who don’t know, “conservatorship” is defined as a legal concept in the United States where a guardian or a protector is appointed by a judge to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another due to physical or mental limitations, or old age.
Britney Spears’ father, James “Jamie” Spears, has been Britney’s conservator since late 2008, after she suffered a very public breakdown.
Women’s Health breaks down a timeline of Britney Spears’ conservatorship and explains how the #FreeBritney movement came about. The article mentions that there is currently a petition to the White House to help end the conservatorship in hopes that Britney will regain control over her finances and life.
Framing Britney Spears
The 2021 documentary Framing Britney Spears goes into further detail about Britney Spears’ past and her conservatorship battle. Framing Britney Spears was directed and produced by the New York Times and is available to stream on FX and Hulu.
Although Britney didn’t make a public statement about the documentary, she posted this to her Instagram just four days after the documentary was released:
In the caption, Britney says:
“Can’t believe this performance of Toxic is from 3 years ago !!! I’ll always love being on stage …. but I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person ….. I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life !!!!”
Britney continued by saying:
“Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!! We all have so many different bright beautiful lives ????!!! Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens ?✨ !!!!”
I don’t know about you, but I’d like a documentary from Britney’s point of view where she can tell her story how she wants and we can know the truth about her “living behind the lens.”
Framing Britney Spears and the #FreeBritney movement has inspired fans, celebrities, and lawmakers to try to reform the system that is currently in place when it comes to conservatorship.
#FreeBritney movement inspires reform in conservatorship laws
The LA Times reported that proposals in the California Legislature “aim to strengthen the requirements of conservatorships, requiring more oversight and training of those in charge of another person’s care and finances, and implementing additional conditions to safeguard conservatees such as Spears.”
Bills are being introduced left and right to help reform conservatorship laws.
Fox 11 News highlighted one bill in particular, Senate Bill 724, introduced on February 19, 2021 by Senator Ben Allen. This bill “gives conservatees in California the right to obtain legal counsel of their preference, even if the person’s capacity to make sound decisions is in question.” This bill would change the fact that currently, only attorneys on a court-approved list can represent conservatees. A hearing for Senate Bill 724 is scheduled for April 13th.
Another bill that was highlighted by The LA Times is Assembly Bill 1194, introduced by Assemblyman Evan Low. This bill would require any conservator who is not a licensed professional to receive 10 hours of training in financial abuse. It also states that nonprofessional conservators, (like Spears’ father Jaime), would also be required to register with the state’s oversight agency, the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau. More details on the bill are available here.
What celebs have to say about #FreeBritney
See what celebrities have to say about the #FreeBritney movement:
Britney Spears’ music was my first exposure to POP music. Her impact was/is profound and it always baffled me as to why people were so brutal to her when she was down. It’s great the world is more sensitive to mental health now, but upsetting it took this long in Britney’s case.
— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) February 9, 2021
I am appalled by the Framing Britney Spears doc on her conservatorship. This an unprecedented usage of this procedure as she is not only of sound mind but works her ass off. Both can be proven. The most revealing bit of the doc was the quote from her brother. Cont’d #FreeBritney
— ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ℂ ? ? ? ? ? ? (@VanessaCarlton) February 8, 2021
#freebritney
Thank you @nytimes you did what you could. ??#wearesorrybritney pic.twitter.com/F8TZnXyyAa— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) February 8, 2021
? Good morning!? have a great day! And: #FreeBritney
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) February 8, 2021
Y’all..it’s plaguing me that nobody knows if @britneyspears is truly okay. Really hoping that if she isn’t she can formally vocalize it in some way and that she knows all of us on the outside really give a shit about her well-being. ?
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) February 8, 2021
the Framing Britney Spears doc holy fuck.
no artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her.
the mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.— hayley from Paramore ? (@yelyahwilliams) February 6, 2021
Britney Spears’ music hits different
With all the #HollyGOOD that may come as a result of the #FreeBritney movement, we thought it was appropriate to make a playlist that reflects how much Britney’s music has impacted our lives since the 90s.
We love you Britney!
More Like This: Britney Spears through the years: a look back at her greatest red carpet moments
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