Britney Spears, who last November celebrated a legal victory that freed her from a 13-year conservatorship that controlled her personal and professional life, is sharing more about her experience during that time.
The singer posted a 22-minute audio clip to YouTube on Sunday in which she addressed her conservatorship and the alleged abuse she says she was put through by her family.
"I was scared broken. I'm sharing this because I want people to know I'm only human. I do feel victimized after these experiences and how can I mend this if I don't talk about it," Spears said.
It doesn't mention it in this article, but apparently she deleted it shortly afterwards. You can still find copies of it if you want to listen to it yourself. But I would caution people, since...
It doesn't mention it in this article, but apparently she deleted it shortly afterwards. You can still find copies of it if you want to listen to it yourself. But I would caution people, since it's pretty depressing. She talks pretty openly about some of the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and the people who enabled him (including her mother and sister).
Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should link to one of the (now many) mirrors of it or not -- or whether I should even listen to it or not. I ultimately opted to link to this summary instead. It's also...
Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should link to one of the (now many) mirrors of it or not -- or whether I should even listen to it or not. I ultimately opted to link to this summary instead.
It's also worth noting that we don't know the reason for deletion. It's possible she chose to take it down herself, but given its contents, I think it's also likely that she was pressured/coerced into deleting it.
Yeah, I intentionally didn't link to any of the mirrors either because it felt a bit unethical. And as for its deletion, I suspect her lawyer (who she even praised in the recording) might have...
Yeah, I intentionally didn't link to any of the mirrors either because it felt a bit unethical. And as for its deletion, I suspect her lawyer (who she even praised in the recording) might have advised her to take it down since (truthful or not) it potentially opens her up to more litigation from her father, which I imagine she probably wants to avoid at this point.
If anyone wants more background into Britney Spears and her conservatorship, The New York Times has two documentaries on it: Framing Britney Spears and Controlling Britney Spears (NYTimes...
If anyone wants more background into Britney Spears and her conservatorship, The New York Times has two documentaries on it: Framing Britney Spears and Controlling Britney Spears (NYTimes subscription required, also available on Hulu in the US).
There's a bit of overlap between the two, but each is worth a watch.
The Netflix series Dirty Money also has a good episode called "Guardians, Inc." which covers guardianship abuse (but is not specific to Britney). I was going to link to it, but it turns out that Netflix has pulled the episode and no longer has it for streaming.
That Dirty Money episode is largely based/influenced by this New Yorker article. If I recall correctly, the author of the article made an appearance in the episode. The situation regarding...
That Dirty Money episode is largely based/influenced by this New Yorker article. If I recall correctly, the author of the article made an appearance in the episode.
The situation regarding predatory conservatorships in the US is maddening, and the people who prey on the elderly are absolute scumbags. It's a system that has been rife with abuse for years, yet it continues to go unchecked. I don't know enough about the law to tell if it is an unfortunate consequence that can't really be fixed, or another sign of our decaying institutions and our inability to fix them. Maybe it's time to reread that article, but I know it will just get me worked up.
On a more personal note, my grandfather passed away a few years ago, leaving a fairly large sum of money behind to his wife. Now that she is getting to the age where her mental faculties are beginning to decline, she's been getting calls from these pieces of shit almost every week. It doesn't matter how many times she or someone from my family says no, they keep coming back. There really aren't enough words for me to describe how much I despise these people. I mean it's one thing to be a scam caller living thousands of miles away in India trying to score a couple hundred bucks off some confused old lady. It's terrible in its own right, but that's peanuts compared to the people who will drive over to someone's house and look them in the eye and smile as they take every last penny.
It doesn't mention it in this article, but apparently she deleted it shortly afterwards. You can still find copies of it if you want to listen to it yourself. But I would caution people, since it's pretty depressing. She talks pretty openly about some of the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and the people who enabled him (including her mother and sister).
Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should link to one of the (now many) mirrors of it or not -- or whether I should even listen to it or not. I ultimately opted to link to this summary instead.
It's also worth noting that we don't know the reason for deletion. It's possible she chose to take it down herself, but given its contents, I think it's also likely that she was pressured/coerced into deleting it.
Yeah, I intentionally didn't link to any of the mirrors either because it felt a bit unethical. And as for its deletion, I suspect her lawyer (who she even praised in the recording) might have advised her to take it down since (truthful or not) it potentially opens her up to more litigation from her father, which I imagine she probably wants to avoid at this point.
If anyone wants more background into Britney Spears and her conservatorship, The New York Times has two documentaries on it: Framing Britney Spears and Controlling Britney Spears (NYTimes subscription required, also available on Hulu in the US).
There's a bit of overlap between the two, but each is worth a watch.
The Netflix series Dirty Money also has a good episode called "Guardians, Inc." which covers guardianship abuse (but is not specific to Britney). I was going to link to it, but it turns out that Netflix has pulled the episode and no longer has it for streaming.
That Dirty Money episode is largely based/influenced by this New Yorker article. If I recall correctly, the author of the article made an appearance in the episode.
The situation regarding predatory conservatorships in the US is maddening, and the people who prey on the elderly are absolute scumbags. It's a system that has been rife with abuse for years, yet it continues to go unchecked. I don't know enough about the law to tell if it is an unfortunate consequence that can't really be fixed, or another sign of our decaying institutions and our inability to fix them. Maybe it's time to reread that article, but I know it will just get me worked up.
On a more personal note, my grandfather passed away a few years ago, leaving a fairly large sum of money behind to his wife. Now that she is getting to the age where her mental faculties are beginning to decline, she's been getting calls from these pieces of shit almost every week. It doesn't matter how many times she or someone from my family says no, they keep coming back. There really aren't enough words for me to describe how much I despise these people. I mean it's one thing to be a scam caller living thousands of miles away in India trying to score a couple hundred bucks off some confused old lady. It's terrible in its own right, but that's peanuts compared to the people who will drive over to someone's house and look them in the eye and smile as they take every last penny.