There are now two Britneys.
There’s strength and deliverance Britney Spears, the force behind hit new Broadway musical Once Upon a One More Time.
Then there’s sad and struggling Britney, the real Britney, who spent the night after July 4th following new NBA star Victor Wembanyama through a Las Vegas hotel lobby and getting slapped in the process.
Police investigation revealed that she slapped herself, although Spears claims Wembanyama’s security guard was at fault.
Regardless, it’s hardly the post-conservatory Britney we’d all hoped would emerge.
Spears is 41. Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs’ number one draft pick, is 19.
Video of the slap shows Spears from behind, in a dated cropped green top, her hair extensions frayed, as she tries to get Wembanyama’s attention.
There are now two Britneys. There’s strength and deliverance Britney Spears, the force behind hit new Broadway musical Once Upon a One More Time. Then there’s sad and struggling Britney, who spent the night after July 4th following new NBA star Victor Wembanyama through a Las Vegas hotel lobby and getting slapped in the process.
That’s how far she fell. Once the biggest pop star in the world, Britney Spears, she now has to chase after a much younger athlete who has been famous for less than a month and she’s being shooed away like a mosquito.
And the whole world saw it.
Spears, who now posts alarming near-nude photos and weird dance clips on social media, has always been a fascinating example of American fame and its downsides.
She remembers no one quite like Marilyn Monroe – the stunning beauty, the sweet disposition, a complicated mental illness she can’t seem to overcome.
Monroe was only 36 when she died. Perhaps Spears was protected by her guardianship more than we knew, more than any of the #FreeBritney advocates understood.
However, this is not an argument for the reinstatement of their conservatory.
Spears is obviously not well, but her children are older and no longer live with her. She is married to her third husband, 29-year-old Sam Asghari, and appears to pose no danger to anyone but herself.
Let’s say: Britney is still a cultural phenomenon and a relevant artist.
Aside from the Broadway show, her latest collaboration with Elton John, “Hold Me Closer” reached number one on iTunes in over forty countries, debuted at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was used in the opening scene of the second season of And Just Like That.
Ahead of the single’s release, Elton told the Guardian newspaper that he sees his younger self in Spears.
Spears, who now posts alarming near-nude photos and weird dance clips on social media, has always been a fascinating example of American fame and its downsides.
However, this is not an argument for the reinstatement of their conservatory. Spears is obviously not well, but her children are older and no longer live with her. She is married to her third husband, 29-year-old Sam Asghari (pictured) and appears to pose no danger to anyone but herself.
“Britney was broken,” he said. “I was broken when I got sober. I was in a terrible place… Now I have the experience of advising and helping people because I don’t want to see an artist in a dark place. Many artists would appear to have self-esteem, but they don’t. And that’s why we go on stage and get the applause, and then we leave the stage and we’re back to square one.”
Britney seems to be back at square one again. Her recovery, her life, her career—none of which is likely to ever follow a linear path again.
She’s a middle-aged woman who may or may not use drugs, whose hypersexuality was encouraged and commodified by a music industry that made billions off her, who in many ways never had a chance.
Back in January, members of her inner circle told Page Six that while Spears struggles so hard, nobody thinks she’ll ever be put under anyone’s control again.
“No one outside of the very small conservatory circle knows what Britney’s medical status really is,” said a well-informed source. “If people knew Britney’s actual health condition, I think it would show that her mental health issues are far more serious than people realise.” Regardless … it’s not necessarily appropriate that she’s under guardianship. There are less harsh ways to deal with it.”
As a matter of fact. Hearing and seeing her perform, hearing the testimony of a veteran star like Elton, means realizing that Spears does indeed have the ability to thrive.
At the height of her conservatory, she starred in her own Las Vegas residency for four years, from 2013 to 2017. She played 248 shows with an average running time of 90 minutes. It was a critical and commercial success, grossing nearly $138 million.
Britney’s residency was one of the most successful in Vegas history, trailing only that of Celine Dion and, yes, Elton John.
“Everyone said they didn’t believe she could sing anymore,” Elton told the Guardian. “But I said she was brilliant when she started, so I think she can.” And … I was so excited about what she did.”
Let’s say: Britney is still a cultural phenomenon and a relevant artist. Indeed, to hear and see her perform is to realize that Spears has the ability to flourish.
Andrew Watt, who produced Hold Me Closer, agreed.
“She’s amazing at layering and doubling her voice, which is one of the hardest things to do,” Watt said. “She’s so good at knowing when she’s got the right attitude.” She took complete control.’
This is the Britney Spears we’re all excited about, the one that has at least one point where it seems functional. The real world might be too much for them. It probably always will be.
That incident with Wembanyama — who by the way looks arrogant and overbearing because he refuses to apologize, this guy who’s been famous in America for about five minutes who told the press he couldn’t believe it was Britney Spears me turned to him – shouldn’t define Britney or make her the butt of constant jokes.
Britney actually deserves an apology. That slap may have been an accident, but it was a humiliation she didn’t deserve.
“It’s super embarrassing to share this story with the world,” Spears tweeted Thursday, “but it is.” [sic] already out there. However, I think it’s important to share this story and encourage people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.”
Something tells me that if he plays a bad game or two, Wembanyama will understand what it’s like to be publicly humiliated.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Britney’s story has a happier ending.
In Once Upon a One More Time, her first major project since retiring from the Conservatory in 2021, Britney’s songs tell the stories of famous fairytale princesses who, after reading The Feminine Mystique, decide to choose their own destiny.
“It’s just a huge celebration of Britney,” co-director and choreographer Mari Madrid told USA Today.
That incident involving Wembanyama (pictured) – who, by the way, looks arrogant and smug for refusing to apologize – shouldn’t define Britney or make it the butt of a joke.
Britney actually deserves an apology. That slap may have been an accident, but it was a humiliation she didn’t deserve.
Every aspect of the show has been submitted to Spears for approval and she benefits financially from the production.
It’s also a reminder that Britney Spears is a survivor.
“We can celebrate her freedom every night,” star Aisha Jackson told the outlet. “We raise her, she strengthens us – it’s a great feeling.”
Maybe Victor Wembanyama should see a performance.
And maybe one day Britney will get her fairytale ending.