Britney Spears may have shot to fame in the late '90s as a pop star and accumulated plenty of awards over the years of her music career, but the last 13 years have seen the rise of a "Free Britney" movement with the goal of freeing Spears from the conservatorship of her father, Jamie Spears. Her father gained conservatorship over her estate back in 2008 following her public breakdown, and has since gained sole conservatorship to control her notable decisions, purchases, and career moves.
The "Free Britney" movement has gained momentum in recent years, as Britney Spears has actively tried to regain some control over her life and the conservatorship, even deciding in fall of 2020 that she didn't plan on performing anymore. The ACLU offered their services to help Spears "regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship," and a series of dance videos posted by Spears alarmed some fans, thinking that she was being held against her will and trying to send signals.
On February 1, 13 years after Jamie Spears gained conservatorship over Britney Spears' estate, fans of the singer are taking to social media in support of Britney Spears.
A lot has happened over the past 13 years for Britney Spears and the growing "Free Britney" movement, and fans pushing for her to be freed from her conservatorship took to Twitter to spread the #FreeBritney message. Some tweets also laid out the issue to explain what #FreeBritney is all about, which must have been helpful for others on social media who may not know much about Spears other than her list of hit singles.
While some focused on Britney Spears' list of accomplishments over the past 13 years, others put the focus on what Spears isn't allowed to do without the permission of her father. Considering that conservatorships aren't the most common arrangements, seeing what Spears' conservatorship has meant for her (and her career) is a stark reminder of what the movement stands for.
Britney Spears shares two sons with ex Kevin Federline. Their divorce hasn't exactly been amicable, with conflict over the amount of child support Spears would have to pay her former husband. Federline took Spears to court in 2018, with Spears ultimately having to pay more. It's worth noting that a big twist in their money battle over their children in 2018 involved Jamie Spears.
The "Free Britney" supporters who were using the hashtag on February 1 have at least one thing to celebrate -- #FreeBritney wound up trending on Twitter, which warranted the use of a classic Britney Spears gif:
At the end of the day, all the fans posting for #FreeBritney on February 1 seem to be united in wanting Britney Spears to have the freedoms she deserves, including being freed from her father's conservatorship. Whether she is aware of what her fans did on the anniversary of the conservatorship is unknown, but at least one fan hopes she knows:
Even though the anniversary of the conservatorship passed on February 1, the "Free Britney" movement isn't going anywhere. An episode of Hulu's The New York Times Presents centered on Britney Spears will release on the streaming service on February 5. Her court case did suffer a setback back in November when a judge denied Spears' application to have her father removed as conservator, but the case definitely isn't closed.
