The photos prompted a predictable online backlash, with some reconsidering her conservatorship. Whatever happened to #FreeBritney?
Britney Spears dumped a ton of very lightly censored nude photos on her Instagram account Monday, with three new posts that contain a grand total of a dozen pics. If you’ve seen one, you’ve kind of seen them all—many are repeats of the same photo, and in each she strikes the same pose, sporting nothing but a hand bra and a heart emoji. The internet being the internet, folks have a lot to say.
“‘She is crying for help:’ Britney Spears sparks concern,” blared a Daily Mail headline. “Concerns for Britney Spears after singer posts nude photos online,” wrote the New Zealand Herald. In Brit’s comments, Instagram users posted messages like,“Get help,” and, worst of all, “Now I’m starting to understand the conservator[ship].”
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It’s a theme that comes up a lot in criticism of Spear’s often unusual (for a celebrity, at least) online behavior—the implication that, because she doesn’t abide by the usual rules of nude-posting netiquette and writes rambling captions heavy on ellipses, the conservatorship she lived under for 13 years, which gave her father control of her career, finances, and personal life, was somehow justified. It’s the deepest of bullshit: “Posting cringe” isn’t in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) just yet, and between the corny memes, family drama posts, and oddly angled nudes, Brit’s feed feels like, well, a lot of other people’s. And decisions like whether or not to remove an IUD are not rights reserved for those who maintain tasteful and well-curated Insta feeds. Not yet, at least.
As for Britney herself, her captions suggested that the photos were simply a celebration of her pre-pregnancy bod. “Photo dump of the last time I was in Mexico BEFORE there was a baby inside me … why the heck do I look 10 years younger on vacation,” she captioned one post, adding in another, “Don’t underestimate the power of doing it myself and shooting with a selfie stick.”