She was not allowed to grow up the way she wanted to, so she showed other girls how to do it the right way

One day, you are an ordinary person like most of the world, and then, suddenly, tomorrow, you are a star with fame and wealth in your pocket. We have witnessed such a rise with countless actors and musicians, and Britney Spears is among the long list of such personalities. Shot to fame at the age of 16 for her debut, Baby One More Time, Spears had everything in the palm of her hand. However, life happened, and it all started to slip away.

That’s when her father stepped up to seek a conservatorship to safeguard her daughter’s career, financial, and personal interests. Unfortunately, not everything was done for the goodwill of the singing sensation.

This December, as Spears turns 44, we take a look at her legal fight against her father, which shows that even celebrities have their own struggles and battles that the ordinary masses often ignore or do not consider problems.

The fall of Britney Spears

As mentioned in the introductory paragraphs, Spears shot to fame and immense wealth at the age of 16 in 1998. Over the next few years, she kept rocking the chartbuster. However, in 2007, all hell broke loose when Spears divorced her husband, Kevin Federline. Federline alleged that Spears had m*ntal health issues and was unfit to be a mother, because of which she lost custody of her children.

Spears grabbed headlines when she was caught shaving her head, followed by smashing a paparazzo’s SUV with an umbrella. Such incidents forced her family, especially her father, James Spears, to act.

A concerned father or not

In 2008, James Spears filed a petition to put his daughter in a temporary conservatorship. For the unversed, a conservatorship allows a person to control and manage another person’s financial and career and, at times, even personal decisions. A conservatorship is usually chosen for a person with dementia or conditions because of which the person is incapable of making safe and sound decisions in their own best interest.

The hidden side of conservatorship

While conservatorship may seem like one person taking care of another’s interests, that is not always the case. In 2019, an investigative report shed light on Britney’s life under conservatorship, following which she accused her father of mismanagement of finances, instances of mistreatment, coercion, and conflict of interest.

Soon, a social media movement called #FreeBritney gained traction, with her fans supporting her and calling for the termination of her conservatorship.

Finally free

In 2021, after a court tussle, Britney Spears’ father was legally ordered to end the conservatorship, and after 14 years, Spears was finally free to make all the decisions in her life on her own. The Spears controversy also led to reform of conservatorship law, turning her into a symbol of human rights.

As Britney turns 44, we hope she returns to the music world with a new album or concert, as her fans have been waiting since 2016 and are standing in her support.