I know I just wrote a little snarky post about Anna Nicole Smith. I really don’t want my blog to become overrun with celebrity tabloid stories, so I will try to make this my last one for a while. I have to weigh in on the Britney Spears stories though, because I think they point to a much larger issue.
I truly believe Ms. Spears is crying out for help. She can’t get much louder without harming herself. Her people better start paying attention and get the tough love going.
The question I want to discuss is how did she get here? I hadn’t given it much thought until I was reading that oh-so-cerebral magazine Entertainment Weekly (my mom got it for me and it’s not as tabloid as you think and the reviews are good and I’m done defending myself). This week’s edition has an entire article on Britney. The thing that struck me most from the article was that she is only 25. I knew she was young, but when you consider her timeline of fame, she’s incredibly young for what she’s seen. Or is she?
- 1993: 11 years old. The Mickey Mouse Club.
1998: 16 years old. Her album cover is a wholesome young girl in a pose reminiscent of Debbie Gibson. Nothing too bad. Her video from that album (Baby One More Time) has her dressed as a slutty Catholic school girl. Did I mention she’s 16 years old?
- 2000: 18 years old. Starting to show even more skin on the album covers and in concert.
- 2001: 19 years old. She’s dancing with a large snake to her song I’m a Slave to You. Nothing suggestive there. Unless you consider the connotations of snakes and the whole Adam/Eve thing suggestive. Oh, and her teeny tiny green bikini. But everybody does it, right?
- 2002: 20 years old. She stars in her widely-panned movie Crossroads. She’s on a road trip to lose her virginity. Her audience is widely comprised of tweens. The truth is, though, I think it was panned because she couldn’t act, not because of the message.
- 2003: 21 years old. She’s legal and in leather. Dominatrix much?
- 2004: 22 years old. She’s married to her friend while in Vegas, then annuls the union. The trucker hat and ripped jeans are a nice touch. Nine months later she’s married to Kevin Federline. This is where, if you’re part of her family and haven’t been paying attention, you should start. It’s already out of hand, but this is the beginning of the end. This will not end well. Everyone in America can see it except her family and handlers. Of course, if they were paying attention or giving her any sort of emotional support she probably wouldn’t be flaunting herself so much or looking for love with a boy that is justthisside of trailerpark trash.
- 2005: 23 years old. She has her own reality TV series on MTV (no one is interested) and has her first child. From what I could tell, most people just pitied her at this point and she has lost most of her credibility
- 2006: 24 years old. She has her second child, she’s in headlines everywhere because she’s made some poor mothering choices in front of the cameras. She files for divorce from K Fed X or whatever he’s calling himself this week. I call him trash. Hope springs eternal that she’s finally getting it together. Then she BFFs Paris Hilton and those hopes are dashed. Still no one in her life to fill that emotional void.
- 2007: 25 years old. She refuses to stay in rehab more than a few hours, shaves her head, and has two more tattoos added to her collection. Note to Mother Spears: Ground your daughter. It’s time to help her even if it means you’re not popular and you lose the money.
My point, and I do have one, is that Britney Spears has been paraded around as a sex toy since she was 16. She never had to earn her rewards or wait until it was appropriate. (I can hear you now: When is it appropriate to strut around in public like a slutty school girl out of a Playboy fantasy? My answer: probably never.)
She skipped over her teen years in favor of becoming a sex symbol and her parents let her. I don’t care how much money you offer me, Wild Thing will not be paraded around immodestly and suggestively by me when she is 16. There is no one who can tell me a 16 year old in our society is ready for the responsibility that comes with that territory.
At 16 your hormones are crazy. Britney had a great body and she knew it. Her mom and her handlers knew it. They capitalized on it. Once the cat was out of the bag there was no way to put it back. They had to keep going and find new ways to flaunt it. Sexy begat sexier. Where was there to go? At 16 Britney was allowed to use up everything that should have been hers alone for many more years.
In roughly ten years this girl has lived her entire life. No wonder she is where she is. There’s nothing left to look forward to. How would you live your life if you had already done everything and had nothing left? I think I’d shave my head and get some more tattoos. And I’d wonder why my parents didn’t love me enough to tell me to stop.
I leave you with this appropriate gem from Guitar Hero 2:
Dropping your pants onstage does not deploy star power.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Hear hear. I can’t even read/watch the Britney stories because her whole situation is too sad, really. And her babies! She’s just a baby herself. My take? If her family doesn’t pull in the reins, Brit will end up like Anna Nicole. Which would truly be a tragedy.
Amen, could not have said it any better. In fact she has been heavy on my heart to pray for her.
Blessings.
Absolutely! I think Miss Spears has been more of an entertainment commodity than a person for most of her young adult/adult life. Her parents, managers, friends just watched as she was “sold” to the public like a used car. Now, unfortunely, (maybe fortunately??) no one cares. I do hope that Miss Spears takes the time to examine her life and that she is able to see that she has much to live for–two little guys that need her. She essentially has a great opportunity right now if she chooses to forgo the limelight that has destroyed her, and moves on to bigger and better things–like being a mommy!
You know, when I think about the asinine things I did between the ages of say, 14 and 25…I think the biggest difference between me and Miss B is that each of my stupid moves were not documented in pictures/video ad nauseaum.
But to your point–and it’s a good one– Britney wasn’t allowed to make silly teenaged bad decisions. With the help from her parents, her publicist, and the media, she went straight to the adult bad decisions without any of her own life experience as an adolescent.
Thanks–this is a really great piece that makes the reader stop and really think about what this child has gone through.
Couldn’t agree more with what you’ve said here. The whole situation is so sad because it seems like she was surrounded by people more than willing to let her be the meal ticket, but aren’t willing to help her now that she is crying out.
It is so sad… so very sad.
You GO, Chili! Excellent post. “At 16 Britney was allowed to use up everything that should have been hers alone for many more years.”–that is so profound, and sadly true.
the whole situation is sad……..(sigh)
Personally, I think there is some PPD going on, in addition to lots of other things. I hope the people around her have taken those babies to a safe place and will do the same for her. It is a sad story to witness.
It is a sad situation, indeed. I hope that she is able to get the help she needs. At this point, to make serious changes, she really just has to leave life as she knows it now completely behind and start fresh somewhere else. Probably easier said than done as such a high profile “celebrity”. Sad stuff!
Great post Chili. TOTALLY agree.
I agree with you all the way. You forgot one disgusting thing she made out with Maddona. I fell as a shock to the world on how cool she can be. She needs the Lord that’s the only thing that wil fix Miss Brittany she is lost in a horrible world of entertainment and success. We need to be praying for her, Char
Here, nodding my head… It reminds me of Mr. Darcy’s statement at the end of the book:
“I have been a selfish being all my
life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world;
to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own.”
And yet, at 25 – how can her mother MAKE her do anything? She was considered an adult at 18, free to make her decisions – be them good or bad. (Yes, I am in complete agreement that her parents were responsible for her early sexual self. They should have made better decisions for her at that time!) The only course I see for her (other than prayers on her behalf) is for her parents or others with wisdom to whom she may listen to attempt to guide her in her decisions. Even though she has had a horrible last few years, she is still ultimately responsible for her choices. I am just sorry that her two innocent kids are going to be drawn into her messy lifestyle too.
“Once the cat was out of the bag there was no way to put it back.” There’s a lesson for ALL young ladies to hear, Chili.
Yes, exactly. Thank you for writing this.
Ugh, you are so right on everything. I can’t think about it because I get so sad for her boys (Preston is two days older than my Son 2). I am so heartbroken for them; maybe a sane family member will rescue them when Britney ends up dead.
How do you spend your life when you’re 25 and have used it all up? Well. You spend a the rest of your life being embarrassed. Every day is a new day and a new opportunity for recovery and redemption. I hope she finds it.
Great post. I feel really badly for her. What a train wreck. But it’s not like we couldn’t see this coming. I hope a family member is able to intervene with her — someone that she can trust. I think she must be pretty messed up, though, so I don’t know how easy that would be.
Some of the wierd stuff she’s been doing could have been totally for publicity — a desperate attempt to stay in the running. But I think it just got away from her. Even though rehab seems to be the cool thing to do in Hollywood, she’s not looking very cool. I think it’s real.
That was perfect. I can’t even add a comment b/c you said exactly what I didn’t even *know* I was thinking!
AMEN!! Well said! Rest assured my daughter will be protected and boundries will be set.
I watched where she was interviewed when she was pregnant…was it 20/20 or something?? She had on a short, short mini skirt and a tank top that I thought she would pop right out of. And her makeup looked like a 4 year old did it. I knew she was in trouble then. The girl doesn’t really have much common sense. Her younger sister Jaime Lynne seems much more educated than Brittney.
Can you say “Telling it like it is?!!” Hello and goodbye on that one. Nothing else to say!
Well except for the fact that someone missed something else more crucial even, than her parents reining her in like they obviously needed to do. The parents and the girl need Jesus. They’re doing what anybody without Him is prone to do.