Britney Spears breaks her silence to ask for the right to have a child
After thirteen years of guardianship, the American singer spoke Wednesday, in a court in Los Angeles. She calls for the lifting of guardianship and denounces the influence of which she is the victim from members of her family.
She spoke at full speed, almost without stopping. As if those twenty minutes were his only chance to make up for all the past, lost years. Britney Spears spoke in Los Angeles court on Wednesday. "Depressed" and "traumatized", she calls for the lifting of the tutelage she has been subject to since 2008, and that this measure be ended without a psychological assessment being imposed on her.
The 39-year-old artist with 200 million records has delivered a tale of pain and anger to an internet audience. For the first time, she testified against her father, Jamie Spears, whom she accuses of imposing "abusive" guardianship on her. “Madam, my father and all the people involved in this tutelage, and my management who helped punish me. Madam, they should all be in jail, ”argued Britney Spears.
The words collide. So much so that, very quickly, Judge Brenda Penny must ask Britney Spears to speak "a little slower". It must be said that the singer was silent for thirteen years. After all this time, she says it bluntly, "I just want my life back." For 20 minutes, she connects the arguments to prove to the court that this tutelage does "more harm than good". Confused, she unwraps everything: she is "not happy", cannot sleep, feels "so angry", "cries every day" ...
Private autonomy
A child star born in the Disney universe before becoming the iconic singer of the 2000s, Britney Spears was placed under guardianship in 2008, after a much publicized descent into hell at the time. In 2006, she divorced Kevin Federline. In 2007, she lost custody of her children. This is followed by a live cropped skull or barefoot wanderings immortalized by fans or paparazzi. Since then, it has been totally deprived of its decision-making power and its autonomy. Concretely, this supervision requires Britney Spears that the decisions concerning the management of her assets and her career are co-managed by her father and a financial institution. Her personal life is under the control of a professional tutor, who is responsible for liaising between the singer and the doctors who follow her.
A hold that is played even in the greatest privacy of Britney Spears, who for example was forbidden to go to the hairdresser while she was on tour, which gave photos of her where she looked "crazy and dirty ”. A restriction that continued until recently, during the Covid pandemic: she says she was unable to access aesthetic treatments such as hairdressing or manicure, her mother having claimed for a year that these services were closed.
During the hearing, she talks about the control at all levels, right down to her contraception. In a relationship for several years with influencer Sam Asghari, she wants to "try to have another baby." But the people running her guardianship don't let her go to the doctor to have her IUD removed, "because they don't want [her to have] children." "I want to be able to get married and have a child," the Toxic performer insisted, supported by a feminist wave on social media.
"Fed up with taking advantage of her"
Facing the judge, Britney Spears' words illustrate how her life doesn't even seem to be hers anymore. And how much of a luxury what would seem trivial to anyone is a luxury for her. The artist would like "for [her] boyfriend to be able to drive [her] in his own car" or "to see [her] shrink once a week and not twice". She also says how, quite simply, she would like to be able to choose her lawyer, which has been imposed on her. She even remembers how she was forced to take lithium (a medicine used to treat manic episodes in bipolar disorder), to the point where she was "unable to have a discussion" and felt "drunk". A few examples among the heaps of others that the artist has displayed, rewinding the last thirteen years of his life.
Above all, she emphasizes that for a long time she was unaware that she could challenge her tutelage. Despite everything, according to court documents cited by the New York Times, Britney Spears has repeatedly expressed clear opposition to the terms of this measure. In a 2016 report, a forensic investigator in charge of the case wrote, "She said she felt the guardianship had become an oppressive check against her."
The report cited by the American daily also indicates that the singer had informed the investigator of her wish to put an end to this situation: "She is" fed up with being taken advantage of "and says that she is the one who works. and brings in money but that she pays for everyone around her. " Among other things, the singer must pay not only her own legal fees but also those, quite considerable, of the guardians who contest her claims in court.
#FreeBritney
The hearing only rekindled the #FreeBritney movement, which was started several years ago by fans suspecting Britney Spears' family of keeping her under guardianship against her will. On Wednesday, several dozen fans of the singer even gathered outside the Los Angeles courthouse in a show of support. Now Britney Spears hammers it: she "deserves a change". If she wants to be released from this guardianship without an assessment of her mental health, it is because she fears that her family will set her back. “Many judges terminate guardianship without evaluation. The only times they don't is when a family member says something is wrong, explains the singer before resuming: and, since my family has lived under my guardianship for thirteen years, I wouldn't be not surprised that one of them said “we don't think this has to stop, we have to help him” ”.
"I deserve to have the same rights as anyone, having a child, a family, any of these things, and more," concluded Britney Spears, signing the end of an intense monologue. Saluting the artist's "courage", the judge said Britney Spears must now formally request the lifting of her guardianship, and that her appeal would be considered at a later date. This time, she will have the right to hire any lawyer she chooses.
