Following the release of a documentary about singer Britney Spears, stars have expressed shock and support for the pop icon.
‘Framing Britney Spears’, produced by The New York Times and released on FX, chronicles the singer’s rise to fame as a teenager, the sexism she faced and her troubled life leading up to a court-ordered legal guardianship she has lived under for over a decade.
Under this conservatorship, the 39-year-old’s business and personal affairs have been controlled by her father Jamie Spears since 2008.
Celebrities slammed this arrangement, with some using the #FreeBritney hashtag that has been popularised by fans in the recent past.
Paramore singer Hayley Williams tweeted: “No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her. The mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”
Actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler simply tweeted: “#FreeBritney.”
“Y’all..it’s plaguing me that nobody knows if @britneyspears is truly okay,” tweeted singer Kacey Musgraves. “Really hoping that if she isn’t she can formally vocalize it in some way and that she knows all of us on the outside really give a [expletive] about her well-being.”
A tweet from the account of the band Garbage read: “Just watched the “Framing Britney Spears” documentary and have to say, there is something VERY weird, very wrong going on. #FreeBritney.”
Spears herself has not responded to the documentary, which reports say was not authorised by the singer, but her boyfriend Sam Asghari has given a statement thanking fans for their support.
“I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves,” he told People. “I am thankful for all of the love and support she is receiving from her fans all over the world, and I am looking forward to a normal, amazing future together.”
