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We live in a society ... that could possibly make this happen.

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What's The Deal With #FreeBritney

By:: Eli Yudin

June 26, 2021

What's The Deal With #FreeBritney

What's The Deal is back this week with a quick summary of conservatorship, the most terrifying legal status you've never heard of, and specifically how it applies to Britney Spears.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY What is #FreeBritney? CRACKED.COM #FreeBritney is a movement, which has existed across the internet for some time, alleging that Britney Spears is trapped in an abusive conservatorship controlled by her father, Jamie Spears.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY Wait, that's real? CRACKED.COM Though #FreeBritney was long doubted, perhaps labeled as an overzealous outcropping of stan culture, Britney's first public statements on the arrangement seem to validate the campaign. — Source: Buzzfeed

Continue Reading Below

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY Why wait until now? CRACKED.COM To put it BRIEFLY the power given in a conservatorship is pretty much insane. Most year olds you know probably have more control over their life.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY When did it start? CRACKED.COM In 2008, after a public mental breakdown that tabloids were all too happy to feast on, her father was given control of her life and finances. Because being a global star whose every moment is recorded and scrutinized could NEVER be the problem. — Source: New York Times

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY What's a Conservatorship? CRACKED.COM A judge appoints a conservator for someone who is unable to provide for his or her basic personal needs for food, clothing or shelter. Doesn't sound intended for someone, who, I don't know, is still releasing studio albums and performing regularly. — Source: Wikipedia

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY Wait, like... anything? CRACKEDO COM The recent legal hearing showed just how far it went, from her father forbidding her to remove her IUD, to not being allowed to stain her kitchen cabinets a different color. So it's not a stretch to think her IG account might have been, let's say, lightly edited. — Source: Vice

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY That's messed up. CRACKED.com It sure is! If it sounds like a nightmare situation worthy of a psychological thriller, it already is. Recent Netflix film I Care A Lot stars Rosamund, Pike as a woman taking advantage of involuntary conservatorship to defraud the elderly, which is a real thing.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY Why does this exist? CRACKED.co .COM It may just sound like the work of some evil legal genius, but conservatorship has actual use in cases like severe dementia. But bad-faith cases happen, and, since victims are now labeled mentally unfit, is very hard to escape from.

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY Can't she revoke it? CRACKED.co COM As mentioned, it's not that easy. The New York Times found court records indicating she has been attempting to end her conservatorship for years. After all, how can you make the decision to make your own decisions if you're unfit to do so? — Source: New York Times

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WHAT'S THE DEAL: FREEBRITNEY What happens now? CRACKEDG .COM Thanks to her public court statements (which, by the way, her father tried to keep sealed) there's now much greater awareness and scrutiny of the situation. Hopefully, it leads to not only reassessment of her case, but reform of the practice.

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