This year has seen a whirlwind of developments in the life of pop star Britney Spears. The conservatorship that she's been held under for over a decade is slowly unraveling, thanks in large part to a fan-driven “Free Britney” movement and countless documentaries on the matter. Spears is also now engaged to her boyfriend of five years, Sam Asghari. Over on her sporadically deactivated social media, she is continuing her newfound streak of being quite candid about the situation. Apparently, having the freedom to drive again and the prospect of her conservatorship finally coming to an end is all a bit scary.
Once the entertainer was allowed to choose her own lawyer for the first time earlier this year, a flurry of change swept over the conservatorship battle. Her father, Jamie Spears, decided to step down as a co-conservator, but it was of no consequence because a judge later suspended him permanently. On a more personal level, though, the singer was also finally allowed the basic freedom of driving herself again. She talked a lot about it in a new Instagram post, and it sounds slightly harrowing. She wrote:
The paps run through the trees and onto the road when I drive home and it's creepy !!!! And I have to drive by an elementary school … the kids are a big deal … but so am I !!!!! I don't like that they try to scare me and jump out like they do ... it's like they want me to do something crazy !!! So like I said I'm fearful of doing something wrong ... so I won’t be posting as much in a world where it's our liberty to be free, it's a shame !!! I started experiencing that when I got the keys to my car for the first time 4 months ago and it’s been 13 years !!!! I haven't done anything to be treated the way I have for the past 13 years !!! I'm disgusted with the system and wish I lived in another country !!!
It seems what she is describing is almost history repeating itself. Prior to her conservatorship being instated, the "Piece of Me" singer was constantly swarmed by paparazzi wherever she would go. As was documented in Hulu’s Framing Britney Spears, the situation escalated into an altercation with paparazzi and then an incident where she refused to turn over her kids to ex Kevin Federline.
The latest documentaries on her conservatorship have provided more details about the level of control exercised over her life. In Netflix's Britney vs Spears, one of her old friends claimed they had to call Jamie Spears each and every time she wanted to leave the house, no matter how simple the reason. Likewise on the New York Times' follow-up, Controlling Britney Spears, one former security team member also alleged that they were monitoring her even from her bedroom. With the security level seemingly so intense, it's honestly no wonder Spears says she's afraid of the conservatorship ending:
I'll just be honest and say I've waited so long to be free from the situation I’m in … and now that it's here I'm scared to do anything because I'm afraid I'll make a mistake !!! For so many years I was always told if I succeeded at things, it could end … and it never did !!! I worked so hard but now that it's here and getting closer and closer to ending I'm very happy but there's a lot of things that scare me.
The former X Factor judge continued in her post that she was going to “do things a little differently from now on,” which apparently means making this a Christmas Halloween, complete with a massive tree in her living room. She also alluded that her family might need help in the future if she ever does an exclusive interview (perceivably one even more candid than her social media posts).
Britney Spears also indicated that her retirement plans are seemingly still in place and that she’s “staying clear of the business.” Hopefully, she'll be allowed to do so and drive her car in peace if the conservatorship does end for good.
