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Metro Article on Spears shaving her head

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Metro Article on Spears shaving her head

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This article explains how Spears became a prime target for paparazzi due to her mental distress. It details how in 2007, she visited a salon in San Fernando Valley and shaved her head herself, with the reasoning that 'she didn't want anybody touching her head'. This was framed as a public breaking point which the media used as a narrative that she was 'mentally unstable'. Not only does this dramatically reshape her public and physical image, but also as a cry for help after years of being sexualised, micromanaged and commodified since her childhood. This marked a turning point in her image of personal struggle, and also as the first point of resilience to public scrutiny.

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The singer has opened up on the moment in her memoir The Woman In Me.

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Spears becoming a global star, internationally recognised and a music industry icon in a short space of time drastically transforms her image within the industry and charts.

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Spears' looking youthful and innocent

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This 'new' look makes Spears looks reserved, shy and timid in comparison to her previous onstage personas.

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'...Baby One More Time' Official Music Video, 1999 (YouTube)

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'...Baby One More Time' Official Music Video, 1999 (YouTube)

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Spears' debut album in 1999 reached Number 1 on Billboard 200 and certified fourteen times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America; this was quickly labelled as the best-selling debut album by a teenage female artist and later became known as one of the best-selling albums of all time, swiftly transforming Britney into a teen pop idol almost overnight.

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Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time (Official Video)

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Young Britney: Child Star to Teen Pop Idol

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Young Britney: Child Star to Teen Pop Idol

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'...Baby One More Time': the beginning factor that transitioned Britney's image of a child star to teen idol that correlated with perceptions of Spears as a 'sex symbol'. Her image and status since then has constantly compared to this version of her, where the media has used her good looks and 'good girl' status as a pedestal for her identity.

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Spears at 17 on the cover of the 1999 April edition of Rolling Stone

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Spears at 17 on the cover of the 1999 April edition of Rolling Stone

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The first image of Britney that was sexualised and critiqued by the media as a disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality that blurred the lines between her previously known status as America's Sweetheart.

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Spears at 17 on the cover of the 1999 April edition of Rolling Stone

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[FULL] Little Britney Spears at Star Search - Love Can Build a Bridge.

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Britney Spears at 10 years old performing 'Love Can Build a Bridge' by The Judds; the perception of a young star from an early age gave her a platform and status from this early involvement within the industry that she could later build upon.

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[FULL] Little Britney Spears at Star Search - Love Can Build a Bridge

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club 

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club 

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Spears joined the sixth season of the show from 1993-1994, starring alongside now widely known artists like Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling and Nikki DeLoach. She successfully secured the part at 11 years old, after previously being turned down at 8 for being too young; instead, she starred in an off-Broadway show, 'Ruthless!', giving weight to her early status or progressing stardom. Her talent is clearly recognised from this young age that later helped her gain status in her transition into her adult career in the music industry.

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The Mickey Mouse Club LIVE - 'I Feel For You' AI 1080P (Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake)

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Spears as an understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in 'Ruthless! The Musical'

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Spears as an understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in 'Ruthless! The Musical'

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This battle for a leading role shows Spears' star image beginning to develop from a young age that later became influential due to this recognition of her as an actress and artist.

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In 1992, Britney Spears (left) and Natalie Portman gave a hint of their eventual superstardom understudying for Laura Bell Bundy in "Ruthless!" Courtesy Everett Collection; The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Once upon a time, in a bizarro universe, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears were in the same show. The time was 1992, the universe was off-Broadway and the show was "Ruthless!," about a girl who'd literally kill for the lead in her school play.

Believe it or not, Spears and Portman - then Natalie Hershlag - were the understudies. Laura Bell Bundy, who went on to Broadway's "Legally Blonde," played the murderous Tina Denmark.

"Ruthless!" itself has endured, a campy farce whose edge has been sharpened, bookwriter/ lyricist Joel Paley says, in the age of "Toddlers & Tiaras." It's back now for a limited run, and Paley and composer Marvin Laird still remember how hard it was the first time around to find the perfect pint-size triple threat: a singing, dancing girl who could also play a murderer.

Bundy, a 10-year-old from Kentucky, could do it all. But she needed an understudy. "We thought, 'We're never going to find another [girl] - we're really screwed,' " Paley recalls. "And that's when we found Britney Spears."

Britney, then 10, had it all, he says: "singing, dancing, acting, [plus] confidence and a great mom." When Laird played the number "Born To Entertain," young Britney told him to take it up a full tone before belting it out even higher.

"Although they were both nice kids," Paley says of Bundy and the future pop star, "we saw a chillingly accurate understanding of the drive and passion and ruthlessness that was needed to play Tina."

After eight months, Spears got antsy. "Even though the part was fun, the process of doing the same thing night after night wasn't," she wrote in her 2000 autobiography, "Britney Spears' Heart to Heart." After she left, Portman came on board.

Bundy remembers watching her audition. "The other girls were superpolished and pageant-y, and Natalie had this very long hair, down to her butt. There was something real about her."

The two became fast friends. "We had sleepovers and prank-called people," Bundy says, laughing. "She was a vegetarian even then. We were at a restaurant and she'd be telling me these horror stories about chickens - she'd be eating a Caprese salad while I was eating prime rib."

"Ruthless!" has always attracted talented girls with an edge. It seems 12-year-old Sophia Anne Caruso, the new Tina, will fit right in.

She wrote the show's creators about a "Ruthless!" production she did in Spokane, Wash., and how, making her entrance, she couldn't open the door - just as the actor on the other side had a heart attack and died onstage.

" 'It was the worst thing that ever happened to me and I'll never get over it,' " Paley says, paraphrasing her letter. " 'In the meantime, I know all the songs, all the lines, so if you ever do the show again, give me a call.' "

It'll be interesting to see where she is 20 years from now.
"Ruthless!" runs through Sept. 22 at the Triad, 158 W. 72nd St.; tickets, $35 to $45, at 800-838-3000.

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Britney Spears and Natalie Portman battled for an off-B'way role in '92

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Once upon a time, in a bizarro universe, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears were in the same show. The time was 1992, the universe was off-Broadway and the show was "Ruthless!," about a girl who'd ...

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Spears and Timberlake later dated from 1992 to 2002, a relationship that was publicly known and reported on due to their shared status as music stars.

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s Relationship: A Look Back. Lynsey Eidell, 2024.

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People Magazine Article on the Spears and Timberlake 

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People Magazine Article on the Spears and Timberlake 

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The article refers to the relationship as a 'modern-day fairy tale' and a 'constant subject of public fascination', contributing to the fascination of Spears private life, intimate relationships and the speculation people still adhere too over 20 years later.

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s Relationship: A Look Back

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake met in 1992 and dated from 1999 to 2002. Here is a complete timeline of their relationship.

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Eliscu, Jenny. 'Britney Takes (It) Off', Rolling Stone, 1999.

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Academic Research into Spears' 'sex appeal'

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Academic Research into Spears' 'sex appeal'

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This article was published in Rolling Stone and details public opinion on the cover; referring to Spears as 'a sweet, virginal, Christian teeny-bopper', her image before the release of this shoot was innocent, sweet and childlike. Eliscu details comments from Barry Weiss, the president of Spears' label, Jive Records, who commented on how she became 'the hot girl next door', which can be inferred as the start of her image as a sex symbol.

However, it also gives a voice to Britney herself by including her own words; 'the fact it was Rolling Stone and not some teenybopper magazine made people take me a little more seriously'. This demonstrates her willingness to move away from the perception of innocence to a more mature and adult notion of star image and suggests a participation in the involvement of her onstage persona, acting as a turning point to the construction of her image.

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Clear prior granting of permission for release of your information to this service.

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The cover depicts the sweet and innocent look Spears embodied, despite the nature of the song's music video that was heavily sexualised. This shows a clear divide and change in image; the original 'innocent' teen-star look the media associated her with became publicly conflicted with a version that contrasted this.

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Music Video for 'Oops! I Did It Again!' (YouTube)

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Music Video for 'Oops! I Did It Again!' (YouTube)

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Her second studio album was released in 2000. This album was hugely successful, and Billboard voiced that it was 'sharper and sexier than ever', automatically presenting her image in a new and improved light; however, not for her music abilities but rather her looks and physical image, resonating with how the media began sexualising her and public opinion of the time supported this.

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Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again (Official HD Video)

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During Spears' performance, she removed her costume to reveal a sequined flesh-coloured outfit; this was a moment where critics perceived her as a more provocative performer, and this article by Wehniainen in Bustle (2023) details how this gave her the 'first real taste of backlash that would last years'. As a result of this, Spears' felt she needed to turn to religion and medication to prevent any further bad publicity. This clearly shows the importance of star image to celebrities and how bad press can lead to people attempting to alter their image in order to achieve a more positively perceived one.

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Britney Spears Opens Up About “Dangerous” Backlash As A Teenager

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In Britney Spears’ new memoir, ‘The Woman in Me,’ the musician reflects on the response to her 2000 VMAs performance — including claims she was “corrupting America’s youth.”

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A New Britney: 1998-2000 and her first 2 albums

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A New Britney: 1998-2000 and her first 2 albums

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Spears and Timberlake's public relationship

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Spears and Timberlake's public relationship

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After ending their rumoured relationship in 2002, Spears announced publicly that she had experienced an abortion. Despite being such a private and personal matter, this reached headlines after Spears revealed her experience in her memoir The Woman in Me; becoming a public matter gives space for some critics to have a disagreeing opinion, perhaps based on religion or politics, therefore altering her image depending on the audience.

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Britney Spears Reveals She Had an Abortion Because Justin Timberlake ‘Didn’t Want to Be a Father’ (Exclusive)

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The pop icon will release her memoir, The Woman in Me, on Oct. 24

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Music Video for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' (YouTube)

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Music Video for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' (YouTube)

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In her 2001 album Britney, her leading song I'm a Slave 4 U generated mixed emotions by critics; the lyrics implying sexual liberation and desire were the leading reason for controversy, however some clarified her transition into womanhood and her image of 'sex appeal'.

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Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U (Official HD Video)

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Entertainment Now Article on 'I'm A Slave 4 U' MTV dance

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Entertainment Now Article on 'I'm A Slave 4 U' MTV dance

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Her performance at the MTV Video Music Video Awards in 2001 featured a caged tiger and Spears with a large albino python draped across her shoulders, receiving an influx of negative press. Animal rights organizations such as PETA claimed the mistreatment of the animals was present, and asked her to take this into account that these animals do not belong on stage with bright lights and crowds. However, despite this mass media event that generated negativity for her image, Spears joined PETA in an anti-fur campaign titles, 'I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur', gaining her a positive contribution to her image simultaneously.

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Why PETA Came After Britney Spears’ Iconic Python Dance

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Britney Spears has taken heat from PETA following her dance with a snake and following the release of her 2008 music video for ‘Circus.’

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After landing the lead role of Lucy Wagner in Crossroads, Spears career transcended the boundaries of the entertainment industry. The film grosses over $61.1 million and was widely successful. By acting in a Hollywood film, Spears' image doubled as a pop star and actress, revealing a plethora of talent across different parts of the industry.

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Britney Spears - Crossroads (International + US Trailer) [AI UHD 4K]

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Spears began blurring the lines between the economic and cultural with the release of her first memoir Britney Spears' Heart to Heart. By releasing a book, another form of mass media, her image exceeds only being know for being a pop star. Following this, she was involved in a promotional deal of $8 million with Pepsi, advancing her image as a figurehead for multinational brands and therefore expanding her celebrity image further in different industries.

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Article on Nyla, Spears 2002 Restaurant (Billboard)

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Article on Nyla, Spears 2002 Restaurant (Billboard)

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This article details the short life of Spears' restaurant in New York that she cut ties with after issues with mismanagement. This follows on from the concept of industry convergence and because of her already successful image, she was able to start her own business in a separate industry to her home one. However, the title of this article presents her in a negative and misconstruing light, almost placing blame and failure on her instead, therefore allowing audiences to perceive her as a failed businesswoman without a wider understanding of the circumstances.

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Britney Spears is no longer a restaurateur as she has pulled out of Nyla, the New York eatery she opened just five months ago. The pop star, who turns 21 on Monday (Dec. 2), said in a statement that she has “terminated her relationship” with the restaurant she formed a partnership with in March because of mismanagement and “management’s failure to keep her fully apprised.”

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Third studio album and the progression of her image as a 'sex icon'

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Third studio album and the progression of her image as a 'sex icon'

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IMBD Article on 2002's '100 Sexiest Artists'

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IMBD Article on 2002's '100 Sexiest Artists'

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Spears was placed at 93 on the VH1's '100 Sexiest Artists' list, placing her on a global media pedestal for her image and appearance, further enhancing the sexualised concept the media imposed on Spears.

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List of artists that made it on VH1’s 100 Sexiest Artists in 2002

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Refinery29 Article on the opening of the 'Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation's Britney Spears Campus' 

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Refinery29 Article on the opening of the 'Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation's Britney Spears Campus' 

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Spears opened her own Cancer Foundation in 2017 that has played a vital role on opening a new facility in Nevada. She also donated $1 million to the Foundation to support children battling cancer and in support of their families. This article highlights Spears' involvement with the charity and her generosity, whilst also mentioning her involvement in donating money from her Dream Within a Dream Tour in 2001 that helped children affected by the September 11th attacks. This new philanthropic image is separate from her music career and sex appeal that she was previously known for, and adds a new level of humanitarianism to her already successful image.

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Britney Spears Donated $1 Million To Establish Children’s Cancer Foundation Campus In Vegas

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Spears celebrated the opening of the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation’s Britney Spears Campus over the weekend.

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'The Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts'

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'The Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts'

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Following from the theme of Spears' philanthropist image, she founded a summer camp in 1999 as part of the Britney Spears Foundation to provide training and education for underprivileged children to develop new talents in singing, dancing and acting. This once again develops her image as compassionate and humane and is completely different to how the media was portraying her at the time.

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Although Spears is not known for her involvement in politics or making her political views public, there are a few examples of times she has involved herself in this topic; this article by SheKnows demonstrates the few examples where Spears has voiced an opinion. She was publicly mocked for declaring her trust in George W. Bush after 9/11 and the Iraq war, where critics framed her as naïve. However, a viral Instagram post of Spears calling for congress to pass the #DREAMAct,a legislative bill that would provide conditional residency and citizenship to undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children. This gained a notable layer in her political image whilst also contributing to her already clear humanitarian image.

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Britney wasn’t going to end 2017 without making a powerful statement

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Britney Spears is using her voice to support a worthy cause.

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Screengrab from the series opening scene

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In 2005, Spears and her then-husband Kevin Federline produced a 5-epdisode series that aired on UPN that used live footage they shot themselves on how they met and got married. The theme song was the song Chaotic by Spears herself. The premise of the show invited critics to pass negative judgement on the pair, with some calling Spears 'narcissistic' and 'toxic', ultimately damaging to her image. However, some critics perceived an authentic self image from Spears, observing her as her real self in her own home. The pair divorced in 2007 and had 2 sons together, Sean and Jayden.

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Spears fourth album In The Zone was released in 2003, and this article by Crack details how 'it was the first album cover to not show her body'. Emma Garland, who wrote the article, comments on how this was a bold rejection of the previous sexual image that had been projected onto her, and how for the first time Spears' has stepped away from 'the vision of softly eroticised girlhood' that was identified in ...Baby One More Time. Furthermore, Spears gained more creative control and ownership, co-writing 8 out of 12 tracks. The significance of this is great, presenting a contrast in her image and branding than before, with a glimpse of a newfounded independence.

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Britney Spears’ ‘In The Zone’ marked the discovery of the pop icon’s creative identity

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In 2003, at just 22 years old, Britney Spears had already been through many transformations: from innocent Disney starlet, to world-famous teen star on the cusp of womanhood, to sexually liberated pop icon. Her fourth album, ‘In the Zone’, introduced her next phase – the discovery of her creative identity

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In collaboration with Elisabeth Arden in 2004, Spear's first perfume Curious was released. She has continued to release perfume across the last 2 decades, with her 24th edition Sunset in 2018, now having over 30 fragrances, as this article by Vogue states. This renewed collaboration within a different industry, coupled with its significant success, reinforces her public image while presenting the phenomenon of industry convergence, a trend that has become increasingly evident in celebrity-endorsed fragrances and other media products.

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It's the Noughties: the Spice Girls are on hiatus, The Simple Life is on TV, Carrie has been dumped by Post-It on Sex and the City, and everyone wants to smell like Britney, Paris, J Lo or P Diddy. For this is the era of the celebrity fragrance, when Jennifer Lopez launched a thousand celebrity scents with that first spritz of Glow, a citrusy perfume in an ombré hourglass bottle that was released at her "Jenny From The Block" peak, when she was one half of Bennifer the first time around.

Britney, J Lo, Beyoncé and co are behind some of the bestselling fragrances of all time, their branded scents featured as hero products on Christmas gift lists, lining the shelves at Boots every November, wafting across department store counters through December, and, in the case of certain flash-in-the-pan efforts, marked down in chemists by January. These mid-range gift sets were as much of a Noughties beauty staple as Lancôme Juicy Tubes or hair mascara - and they sold in their millions.

In the years after its 2004 release, one bottle of Britney's first perfume, Curious, made in partnership with Elizabeth Arden, sold every 15 seconds during pre-Christmas retail peaks - and the scent reportedly enjoyed a resurgence in sales last year following the release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary and her engagement announcement. Not that it ever truly went away. Curious's aqua-hued gemstone bottle, with dangly pink heart charms and the tagline "Do you dare?", amassed 500 million sales between 2004 and 2013, demonstrating serious staying power even when Spears herself had drifted out of the public eye.

Lopez's Glow, meanwhile, enjoyed $100 million in sales in its first year; Beyoncé's first fragrance, Heat, broke sales records at Macy's department store ( shifting 72,000 bottles within the first hour of its 2010 release), and when Nicki Minaj launched her debut, Pink Friday, it swiftly became the UK's top-selling fragrance.

These sales figures - enjoyed in similar measure by stars including Sarah Jessica Parker and Mariah Carey (butterfly topped bottles, obviously), Christina Aguilera (now on her 20th fragrance), Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, who released Wonderstruck in 2011 - represent authentically desirable scents that came to rival classics, thanks to the noses of the industry's top perfumers, and the selling power of the celebrities who collaborated with them.

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Turns Out The Celebrity Fragrance Is Not Dead

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Twenty years after the release of Jennifer Lopez's Glow, celebrity perfumes still smell like money. Rihanna's Fenty eau de parfum is among the most popular on the market, Michelle Pfeiffer's clean fragrances have become a hit under her Henry Rose line, and pioneers in the space are still making millions from their scents.

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Further charity work after Hurricane Katrina

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Further charity work after Hurricane Katrina

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After Hurricane Katrina hit the southern parts of the USA in 2006, Spears donated $350,000 to causes supporting relief effort, and was the beginning of her support and involvement in the charity Music Rising which helped aspiring singers in Louisiana affected by the hurricane. This further reinforces her image as a humanitarian.

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Profile of Britney Spears’s support for charities including Red Cross, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Keep A Child Alive. We have 58 articles about Britney Spears’s philanthropy.

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The beginning of her personal struggles 

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The beginning of her personal struggles 

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Paparazzi captures Spears driving with her son on her lap, 2006

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Paparazzi captures Spears driving with her son on her lap, 2006

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In 2006, press released images of the above slammed Spears for bad parenting. This scandal resulted from paparazzi chasing Spears and her son and them trying to escape, and from this Child Services visited their home for questioning. Harshly, this article states, 'If brains were French fries Britney couldn't fill a Happy Meal.' This ultimately damages her image as a 'responsible mother' and leaves audiences questioning her 'good girl' reputation.

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Britney Spears baby is already behind the wheel

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TMZ Article on Spears after New York Incident, 2006

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TMZ Article on Spears after New York Incident, 2006

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After capturing Spears stumble on a street in New York and nearly drop her son Sean, paparazzi chased her to a restaurant she seeked refuge in. This article from TMZ in 2006 harshly frames her in a condescending light, with the opening stating, 'it was too much for Britney to take' and commenting on how she was 'holding a glass in one hand and her baby in the other'. This negative journalism exploits an extremely emotional moment Spears faced, and puts her in the spotlight for criticism. In reality, the public lacks knowledge on what she was going through or feeling at the time, leading to negative judgement to be passed and her image to be damaged further.

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Spears overcome by emotion after incident

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It was too much for Britney Spears to take. Shortly after stumbling on a New York street and almost dropping Sean Preston, Britney broke down crying. On Thursday, Britney was leaving the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York. As she maneuvered through the crowd of onlookers, holding a glass in one hand and her baby in the other, she tripped. Sean’s hat flew off, his head snapped back and a bodyguard made the precious save. After the incident, Britney went to FAO Schwartz with Sean, shopped around and then went to a nearby restaurant where she sat with Sean in hand. She was all smiles with the waitress and she and an unidentified woman ordered. Then, suddenly, Britney broke down and began crying. She tried to mask the emotion by using her baby to shield her face. Britney then took Sean to the bathroom where we’re told she reapplied her makeup and then left.

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It is worth noting that between 2006-2007, Spears was in the process of divorcing her then-husband Kevin Federline. She also lost her aunt to cancer, with whom was extremely close with, and she stayed in a rehabilitation centre for less than a day, causing her to lose custody of her sons. All in which took a mental tole on her, and caused her image to be scrutinised by the public and press. Her 2007 'public breakdown' portrayed her as 'crazy' and 'unstable', beginning the narrative of Spears as a public spectacle.

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Spears Poses Nude for Harper Bazaar in 2006

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Spears Poses Nude for Harper Bazaar in 2006

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In 2006, Spears posed nude for the cover of Harper Bazaar. Due to her being pregnant with her second son at the time, the cover received mixed press about her image. On the one hand, critics saw this as empowering; positioning her as confident in her body and unapologetic allows Spears to see herself through her own lens, unlike those of the paparazzi that consistently scrutinised her. Further, her involvement elevated her brand image by associating her with high fashion publication like Harper Bazaar. However, some critics argued thar it was overtly sexual, continuing the debate on her image as a 'sex icon' and whether this is empowering of exploitative.

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Britney Spearspregnant with her second child in 2006revealed body and soul.

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'Oh Baby, Baby: (Un)Veiling Britney Spears’ Pregnant Body', Meredith Nash, 2006.

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'Oh Baby, Baby: (Un)Veiling Britney Spears’ Pregnant Body', Meredith Nash, 2006.

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This article by Meredith Nash from the University of Michigan's feminist studies department reveals comparisons to Demi' Moore's 1991 Vanity Fair shoot that dismantled stereotypes on pregnancy. It further explores gender conceptions and expectations for pregnant women, and how Spears 'exudes desire'. Nash explains how from embracing her sexuality, she is 'demonstrating pregnancy as a sexy and effortless experience,' which reaffirms her status as a major celebrity and also a mother.

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Press photos reveal an extremely vulnerable and exposed side to Spears

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This article by Morgan Warners from what was then the Huffington Post explores how Spears started as a 'cutesy, innocent little girl, playing it fast and loose' and how she has 'hit rock bottom' a decade later. The article delineates rumours of suicidal tendencies and substance abuse, comparing her to Lindsey Lohan due to the image of 'the good girl icon that got blown sky high by sex, drugs and anorexia,' ultimately damaging her image and framing Spears once again in a vulnerable and cynical light.

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How disgustingly coincidental is it that the good girl icon got blown sky high by sex, drugs, and anorexia at the same time that the economy has gone bust?

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The Guardian on Spears losing custody of her children, 2008

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The Guardian on Spears losing custody of her children, 2008

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This article presents the details on Spears having to hand over her children to the police on 3 January 2008 judge awarded sole custody to Kevin Federline with suspended visitation rights. It also mentions Spears' was labelled as a 'special needs' patient, which is used to refer to those who have attempted suicide or have overdosed, alluding to her underlying mental health problems that the media used to construct this 'damaged' image.

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Britney Spears loses custody of her children

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Judge awards custody to ex-husband and suspend’s singer’s visitation rights

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Louis Vuitton won a lawsuit that alleged Spears for violating counterfeiting laws in her music video for 'Do Something'. After showcasing a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard, Spears was fined $117,000, whilst the video was banned across Europe. This generated press that framed Spears as careless and controversial.

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Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton has won a lawsuit that alleged a Britney Spears music video violated counterfeiting laws by showcasing a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard.

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Center for Journalism and Ethics: Chasing Britney: Celebrity journalism, mainstream media and the failed pursuit of covering Britney Spears (2023

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Examples of negative press that frame Spears as a 'tabloid fixture...that was out of control'

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This fandom site references a quote by journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, who stated that Spears was always an artist who relied on her 'carefully sculpted sexpot-next-door person' and how Blackout presented audience's 'with each new disaster that stripped away any residual sexiness in her public image,' reinforcing public opinion that Spears' image had drastically changed and declined from the 'sex icon' she used to be.

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Album Photography Trivia Blackout is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was released on October 25, 2007, by Jive Records. Its production and release occurred as Spears’ personal struggles were highly publicized and overshadowed her professional projects. She executive-produced the album, working with producers Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, and The Neptunes, among others; it is the only album on which Spears is credited as the executive producer…

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In January 2008, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her sons to Federlines representatives, and was institutionalised at Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre with suspended visitor rights; at an emergency court hearing shortly after, Federline got custody, and by the end of the month, Spears was put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre. Shortly after, her 13 year long conservatorship arranged by her father began, running from February 2008 to November 2021, giving him and others control over her personal and financial life.

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Article published after Spears was hospitalised, leaving press to take photos of her and publish them to gossip columns that judged her parenting style and mental wellbeing.

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Meanwhile, Federline’s lawyer arrives at court to try to strip Spears of her visitation rights

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Britney Spears extends a honeyed thigh across the length of the sofa, keeping one foot on the floor as she does so. Her blond-streaked hair is piled high,exposing two little diamond earrings on each ear lobe; her face is fully made-up, down to carefully applied lip liner. The BABY PHAT logo of Spears' pink T-shirt is distended by her ample chest,and her silky white shorts - with dark blue piping - cling snugly to her hips. She cocks her head and smiles receptively.

But hold on. It's not like that. You're falling into the same trap as the lovelorn youths who call Spears' local florist to send her long-stemmed roses and the randy fellows outside the MTV studios with prom invites scrawled on their chests. Admittedly, that trap is carefully baited by a debut video that shows the seventeen-year-old singer cavorting around like the naughtiest of schoolgirls. But, as Spears points out, nothing is actually revealed.

"All I did was tie up my shirt!" she says, addressing the critics who would hunt her down like a gay Teletubby. "I'm wearing a sports bra under it. Sure, I'm wearing thigh-highs, but kids wear those - it's the style. Have you seen MTV - all those in thongs?"

Spears' left thigh is presently adorned by several small plastic discs that are wired to a neuromuscular stimulator. A dance rehearsal accident has temporarily confined Spears to her parents' ranch-style house in rural-burban Kentwood, Louisiana, when she should be out promoting her white-hot debut, ... Baby One More Time, 1999's biggest-selling pop album so far. Staying home has its compensations: As Spears holds forth, her mom, Lynne, a second-grade teacher, sits on the carpet in the wood-paneled living room, fluffing and folding the laundry. If it weren't for the diamond-laden tennis bracelet that Britney just bought her, you'd think her daughter was a vacationing college kid and not a pop sensation with an eleventh-grade education.

The song that put Spears on top is a strutting statement of intent called "...Baby One More Time" - and that ellipsis tells a tale. The three dots mask a chorus hook line - "Hit me, baby" - that some have taken as a masochistic come-on. "It doesn't mean physically hit me," says Spears. "It means just give me a sign, basically. I think it's kind of funny that people would actually think that's what it meant."

Perhaps the linguistic confusion arises from the fact that the creative force behind "...Baby One More Time" is the Swedish Ikea-pop maestro Max Martin, who is also behind Backstreet Boys and Robyn. As cowriter and co-producer on the record, Martin would run lyrics past Britney, ten years his junior, for approval. "I asked them to change the words to 'Born to Make You Happy.' It was a sexual song," reveals Spears, who cleaves to the Baptist faith, I said, 'This may be a little old for me.' Because of the image thing, I don't want to go over the top. If I come out being Miss Prima Donna, that wouldn't be smart. I want to have a place to grow."

1960. Elvis has been kidnapped by Uncle Sam. Buddy Holly is dead, and Little Richard has found the Lord. Into the vacuum rises a counterrevolutionary force of adenoidal adolescents like Bobby Vee, Frankie Avalon, Fabian and former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. These pop puppets, with their Tin Pan Ailey songs and Sta-Brite smiles, actually managed to neutralize rock & roll's threat for several years.

It's happening again. Welcome to the new Teen Age. In a distant demographic echo of the postwar baby boom, the American teen population has reached the kind of critical mass that makes the culture industry sit up and listen. Teen spending power is reshaping pop culture, filling our TV screens with teen dramas and our multiplexes with teen movies. It has also put a perky new beat on the pop charts, where the devotional vaporings of boy bands have vanquished the roiling rock angst of the early to mid-Nineties.

'N Sync, Backstreet Boys and 98 are now choking on dust from the high-steppin' heels of Miss Britney Spears. Spears, who shares a manager with 'N Sync and a label with Backstreet Boys, screamed off the production line early this year and became the first solo artist of the Sound-Scan era to lodge a debut single and album atop the charts simultaneously, in the album's first week of release.

But for all the fan-mag prose that greeted Spears' explosive marketplace entry, we know precious little about her beyond an image that hints at several stereotypes. Is Spears bubblegum jailbait, jaded crossover diva or malleable Stepford teen? Who knows? Whether by design or not, the queen of America's new Teen Age is a distinctly modern anomaly: the anonymous superstar.

Lynne Spears is issuing crisp directions to the family's home in Kentwood, an hour north of New Orleans. "Turn off Highway 55..." says the husky voiced Louisiana native, "then onto 51... turn right when you pass the Burning Bush."

The Burning Bush? A bar? Restaurant? Strip club?

"No, it's an actual bush that's burning in our neighbor's yard. You can't miss it."

Being a generational mascot brings with it certain responsibilities. "You want to be a good example for kids out there and not do something stupid," Spears says. "Kids have low self-esteem, and then the peer pressures come and they go into a wrong crowd. That's when all the bad stuff starts happening, drugs and stuff. I think if they find something that keeps them happy - writing, drawing, anything like that - then they'll have confidence."

Spears, who won her first talent show when she was six, sounds more middle-aged than teenage as she delivers this brisk message. Doesn't she think that people her age are struggling with self-esteem because of a torrent of media images that promote feelings of inadequacy? Spears thinks about this for a moment. "When people see things on TV that they can't do," she ventures, "that should make them want to go out there and make something of themselves. That's how I looked at it."

The very first low, aching "Ooh bay-by bay-by" that Britney Spears whispered into the public's ear strongly suggested that this wasn't your average seventeen-year old. It's still hard to equate those salacious syllables with the basketball-playing, churchgoing schoolkid who would travel an hour to shop at her nearest Abercrombie and Fitch. As Max Martin says, "People like the song - then they see the video and it's like, 'Fuck!'" You can see that kid in the family photographs and Britney-bilia that dominate the walls of the Spears household. Nestled among them - near the picture of Britney with Ed McMahon from her Star Search performance, in 1992 - is a picture of the star with her prom date, a gangly youth wearing moccasins with his dress pants. This is Reg, Britney's only boyfriend, with whom she had a two-year relationship. It came to an end when the strains of her budding career began to take their toll.

"It wasn't that I was changing," says Spears. "We broke up before any of my success had happened. He became insecure with himself, I felt. I wasn't gonna do anything - I'm a straight-up, honest person, and if I was gonna do something, I'd tell him before I'd do it and end the relationship. I was really head over heels in love. I don't think I'll ever love somebody like that again....I just woke up one day and click, it was gone." Spears shrugs off the rumors linking her with both Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync. "Overseas they say it's Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys," she notes wryly. Right now, she says, she prefers to concentrate on her work rather than romance. "I have," she says, "no feelings at all."

Despite her position as Queen of Teen, Spears does not fully endorse the current wealth of youthful movies that her friends flock to. "Party movies," she calls them. She prefers Kleenex-intensive fodder like Stepmom and Steel Magnolias. She reads Cosmopolitan.

She used to follow Dawson's Creek, but she finds that regular habits like television watching and churchgoing are impossible to maintain on the road. Spears does pray nightly, however, and she catches random bits of TV. She has seen one episode of South Park, which she found "sacrilegious." Tonight, the opening titles of Felicity appear on the family television as she talks. The show is a touch too neurotic for Spears' tastes.

The Spears' house itself resembles a sitcom set, with several neighbors and relatives making unannounced cameos. Britney's eight-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, drags a broom into the middle of the floor and treats everyone to a spirited reading of "It's a Hard-Knock Life" - the version from Annie, not Jay-Z's hip-hop revision. Above the kid's head, on top of the TV cabinet, is a forest of trophies. Many represent the athletic feats of Jamie Lynn's big brother, Bryan, now twenty-one, but most were won by Britney at talent shows and gymnastics meets (that's Britney back-flipping in the "...Baby One More Time" video).

As Mrs. Spears dishes out portions of a neighbor's Mississippi mud pie, Britney quietly listens to one of Felicity's soliloquies. "Isn't she breathtaking? So cute!" Britney says. She met the show's star, Keri Russell, when they were Mouseketeers together.

The Britney Spears phenomenon is no overnight creation. Even before she tasted the hard-knock life of children's talent shows, Spears was preparing for greatness. From age two she would hog the family bathroom, singing passionately into a hairbrush. "I was in my own world," she says. She made her stage debut at five, singing "What Child Is This" at her kindergarten graduation. "I found out what I'm supposed to do at an early age," she explains.

"She was always singing - she would never hush," coos Britney's mom, a diminutive forty-three-year-old with large brown eyes. Kinesiology student Bryan Spears remembers his sister dancing in front of the TV, trilling Madonna's "Like a Prayer." "It was very annoying," he confirms.

Before she was ten, Spears had pretty much nailed the talent-show racket. "Those little competitions got really old," she says. At age eight she impressed judges at an open call for the Disney Channel's revival of the Mickey Mouse Club, but she was deemed too young for the show. So she did TV ads and an off-Broadway play, Ruthless, attending New York's storied Professional Performing Arts School for three summers. Then, finally, came a two-season Mouseketeer stint in Orlando, where Spears palled around with Russell and future 'N Sync members JC Chasez and Timberlake.

In contrast to most child-performer scenarios, it was Spears who got her parents to set up the Mickey Mouse audition. Jeff Fenster, Jive Records' senior vice president of A&R, who signed Spears, was quite surprised when he saw the family dynamic at work. "Her parents were not pushing her at all," he says. In other words, Britney Spears is her own stage mother.

Upon the show's cancellation, Spears handed back her mouse ears and returned to Kentwood, enrolling at the private Park Lane school in nearby McComb, Mississippi. Park Lane's rules felt stuffy, and Spears' fellow pupils seemed, frankly, a bit provincial. "Remember that opening scene in Clueless with all the cliques? That's what it was like," says Spears, who made friends with cheerleaders and burnouts alike.

Britney Spears is well-regarded in Kentwood, a close-knit community of 2,600 where one can feel like a Satanist just for living in the wrong ZIP code. A local high school has a sign outside: DRIVE CAREFULLY, LIVE PRAYERFULLY. "Pretty much everybody here likes her," says Kentwood High student Lucas Thornton, 17. "When I went down to Mardi Gras, I had a Kentwood jacket on, and lots of people were asking did I know her."

Spears' ticket out of Kentwood arrived when music-business lawyer Larry Rudolph got her - in timeless showbiz style - an audition for Fenster. "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal," says Fenster of his first impressions.

There was more. "For any artist, the motivation - the 'eye of the tiger' - is extremely important," says Fenster. "And Britney had that. This is clearly a self-motivating person from a very young age."

From the second that Jive heard Britney Spears' first sessions with appointed producer-writer Eric Foster White, her fate was sealed. The singer's development deal was ramped up to a recording contract, and Jive began the kind of capital-intensive promo blitz more commonly associated with new products from Disney or Coca-Cola.

First came the Britney Web site, e-mail address and 800 number, advertised on several hundred thousand postcards. In summer 1998, about six months before she released her record, Spears performed at twenty-six malls across the country, schlepping with her two dancers and multiple costume changes. The outing was underwritten by leading teen magazines - Spears was signing autographs before she had ever been on the radio.

The Britney Spears cross-promotional bandwagon rolled on with a Sunglass Hut tie-in, a Tommy Hilfiger modeling gig and a warm-up slot on 'N Sync's tour. When... Baby One More Time was finally released, the hidden track was Britney flacking for label mates Backstreet Boys.

Impressive though Jive's promotional effort is, the company lays much of the credit for its success at the feet of the talent. "I have never seen an artist so focused on what she needed to do," says Kim Kaiman, Jive's marketing director. On Spears' mall tour, for instance, Kaiman was astonished at the way her charge cheerfully embraced grueling promo duties at retail chains and radio stations. "One of the reasons that radio fell in love with her is that she's so very Southern, so sweet and gracious," says Kaiman. "And that's really warming to a programmer's heart."

According to Spears, the record that was subsequently delivered to those pliant programmers was not quite what she had envisaged. She had vaguely imagined herself singing "Sheryl Crow music, but younger - more adult contemporary," she says. Spears, however, is happy that she went along with Jive's choice of high-gloss producers and writers. "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it - it's more me."

When it came time to make a promo clip for . . . Baby One More Time, Spears had to show that her Southern conviviality had its limits. Jive had hired on video director Joseph Khan, whose concept reached the storyboard stage be-fore Spears spoke up. "They had this really bizarre video idea, this animated Power Ranger-y thing," she explains. "I said, 'This is not right. If you want me to reach four-year-olds, then OK, but if you want me to reach my age group ...' So I had this idea where we're in school and bored out of our minds, and we have Catholic uniforms on. And I said, 'Why don't we have knee-highs and tie the shirts up to give it a little attitude?' - so it wouldn't be boring and cheesy." The seventeen-year-old won the day, and the rest is chart history.

Britney Spears sits in her mom's kitchen, holding an ice pack on her knee as she sips her morning coffee. Her hair is down but not messy. Hot rollers have been dutifully applied; makeup and jewelry are in place. The knee is feeling a little better, but Spears is growing impatient with her local physicians. They don't seem to understand that she's got a new video to make.

Spears hobbles out of her kitchen and down a photo-lined hallway to her old bedroom. "It's a girly room," she warns. To say the least. The tiny space, like the rest of the house, is awash in floral patterns and frills; throw cushions cover every square inch not colonized by an impressive collection of pale-faced dolls, from porcelain models to squishy plastic specimens. "I knew this would happen!" says Spears in mild exasperation. Her little sister has been trying to fashion one doll's hair into dreadlocks.

For Spears, these dolls, like Mom's abiding ban on long-distance phone calls, are reminders of an earlier life. She has no intention of going back.

The next step forward is today's trip to New Orleans, where Spears will be attended by a physical therapist from the Saints football team. While she's there, this self-confessed bad driver may test-drive a soft-curved, new model BMW like the one in her next video, for the demure "Sometimes."

Spears' highway to heaven has not been without speed bumps. First there was the threatened lawsuit against her from a man claiming to be her former manager (the case was resolved out of court). A more serious threat comes from fans who have figured out where Spears lives. Alone in the house one night, she hid from a prowler lurking at the window; her mother surprised another as he was hailing to her through a locked bedroom window. Britney's father, a construction contractor, has been forced to work in Memphis due to a slump in the Louisiana economy; Britney has taken to sleeping in her mother's bed.

Lynne Spears walks through the kitchen's French doors and into a hug from her daughter. The pair speculate about the zit that has appeared on Britney's nose. The singer nonetheless implores her mother to whip up a grilled cheese sandwich. "You go into a hotel and you'll have grilled cheeses, but they're not like your mama's," says Spears as she scarfs down the butter - fried snack. In between bites, she dips chips into a hot cheese sauce.

Brother Bryan rolls up, lugging a giant bag of boiled crawfish. He and his fiancee, Blaze, have promised to take Britney to a New Orleans bar that has a built-in waterfall. (Long before she was in the public eye, she used to tag along on drinking trips with her brother and his friends, with fake ID in hand.) "What about me? Can't I come, too?" asks Lynne Spears, pouting in mock disappointment. "Of course you can!" say the kids.

"I know how to drink," says Britney. "Me and my mom will have a glass of wine together, and that's fine. Kids are gonna drink, and the more you say, 'Don't do it,' the more they're gonna want to do it." She has, she confesses, never been inebriated. "I stop before that happens. I just sit there and go all quiet, because I hate to lose control."

Control freaks often make good pop stars, and Britney Spears is not lacking in that department. Anyway, a prosperous debut year is practically guaranteed by ... Baby One More Time, which is front-loaded with hits in several pop genres. The Max Martin tracks should come with a free insulin shot, and Eric Foster White's songs are not for the lactose intolerant ("E-mail My Heart"?), but Spears sure sells the heck out of her material. Hearing a Britney Spears song for the first time is oddly comforting, like finding a Starbucks in a strange town. Spears' record company will be disappointed if U.S. sales don't break 4 million.

For teenage tyros like Britney Spears, though, it's the sophomore year that sorts out the Boyz II Men from the New Kids. As Carson Daly says, "The loyalty factor with teens is dangerous. As quickly as they came, they will leave. But Britney should make enough money this year to not have to worry about what the teens do a year from now."

There would seem to be a finite number of available story lines for Spears. She could find gainful employment in stage musicals, as did Debbie Gibson, or even denounce pop altogether and reincarnate herself like a vengeful Alanis Morissette. Then there's Tiffany, the teen-pop sensation whose name is now synonymous with anonymous.

The way Jeff Fenster sees it, Spears has already outgrown such archetypes. "I think she's got the opportunity to become someone who combines the best elements of Madonna in terms of versatility with the serious singers she looks up to: the Whitney Houstons and Celine Dions."

Spears fancies the Madonna model, praising the singer as a "smart businesswoman" and expressing a desire to shape her own career. To date, Spears has co-authored one B side, and she often leaves fragments of songs on her answering machine. She sums up her own ambition with chilling simplicity: "I want to be big all around the world."

Whatever Britney Spears ends up "growing into," she stands today as the latest model of a classic product: the unneurotic pop star who performs her duties with vaudevillian pluck and spokesmodel charm. As Spears herself says, "It's not supposed to be in-depth - that doesn't mean I haven't worked really hard."

Then again, if you're standing in some bar ten years hence and "... Baby One More Time" comes on the jukebox, you will smile. And you will move.

It looks like ephemeral pop might even be around in ten years' time. According to one estimate, the U.S. teen population is set to rise, in the next decade, from 29 million to 36 million. In other words, resistance is futile. Teenagers are driving our culture - and they won't be giving the keys back any time soon.

Related
* Britney Spears: A Life in Photos* * Photos: Britney Spears, The Rolling Stone Covers
* Photos: Britney Spears' 'Femme Fatale' Tour Kickoff
* Britney Spears Pleases Herself: Rolling Stone's 2002 Cover Story
* Britney Spears Finds It Hard to Be a Woman: Rolling Stone's 2003 Cover Story
* The Tragedy of Britney Spears: Rolling Stone's 2008 Cover Story
* Britney Spears Returns: Rolling Stone's 2008 Cover Story
This story is from the April 15, 1999 issue of Rolling Stone.

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Britney Spears, Teen Queen: Rolling Stone's 1999 Cover Story

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Britney Spears extends a honeyed thigh across the length of the sofa, keeping one foot on the floor as she does so. Her blond-streaked hair is piled high,exposing two little diamond earrings on each ear lobe; her face is fully made-up, down to carefully applied lip liner.

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Spears and Timberlake on the cover of Hello! magazine, 2003

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The pairs' marriage was short lived and spontaneous, beginning in Vegas and ending in Vegas, being annulled after 55 hours. Jason later was arrested at Spears wedding to Sam Asghari for crashing it.

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The marriage faced a very public and complicated divorce, with a continuous battle for custody over their children.

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The couples marriage lasted shortly over a year, and ended amicably. As a relationship later in her adult life and therefore associated with her reclaiming freedom, this symbolises a sense of resilience in her character that has shifted from public mockery to advocacy for her wellbeing.

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The way Spears presented herself as a mother contrasted her image as a 'sex idol' and this 'out of control' pop star. She has publicly stated that her children will always come first, and how rewarding it is to be a mother. To contrast, her ex-husband Kevin Federline has made public accusations of Spears displaying signs of unhealthy behaviour expected of a conventional image of 'good mother'; stories such as drinking whilst pregnant and taking cocaine whilst breastfeeding resonate with her 'out of control' image. Despite negative media publicity around her motherhood, it is clear Spears stuck to her word and prioritised her children even during her struggles, and that her priority has and always will be her family and private life. She has publicly discussed issues with motherhood, and audiences speculate she struggled with postpartum depression, giving her a realistic and relatable image to women and mothers everywhere.

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Britney on Being a Mother and Having a Family shows her dedication and beliefs on being a 'good' mother.

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Britney on Being a Mother and Having a Family

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Spears father granted him and his attorney Andrew Wallet control over her affairs. Gradually, the conservatorship was extended time after time, with no end date.

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Britney Spears’ Conservatorship: A Complete Timeline

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Since 2008, the pop singer had been legally under the control of her father. After a long journey filled with roadblocks, Spears fought to take back her life.

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The religious connotations of her hands placements suggest this innocence and 'good girl' trope she embodied.

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This seductive and sexualised look she perceived on stage re-emerged 

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Despite her ongoing health issues, Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for her song 'Piece of Me'

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Circus was released 2 months after the conservatorship was extended, being referred to as her 'post-meltdown album'. Despite this, it received positive reviews and became Number 1 across Canada and the US. Her single Womanizer topped ...Baby One More Time. It was released to 'reaffirm Spears status as a pop star rather than a daily source of gossip'.

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BBC - Music - Review of Britney Spears - Circus

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Echoes its title through the album with unnerving beats and creepy riffs.

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Across the music video, Spears is featured nude, making headlines for her 'comeback' from her 'unflattering appearances', stated The Guardian; they also refer to her as a 'salmon steak' due to her nudity in the video, objectifying and dehumanizing her.

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Spears designed a limited edition clothing line that she described as 'edgy yet girly' to conform to her personal style of 'comfortable and flirty.'

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Britney Spears Loves ‘Lace & Leather’ in New Candies Ad

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Do you want a piece of Britney Spears? The pop star is banking on it with her just-launched clothing and accessories line for Candies.

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Reinforces Spears' sexualised image that has extended into her branding.

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Spears 2010 single Criminal featured her then fiance Jason Trawick robbing a British shop at gunpoint, generating controversy when politicians criticised her for using replica guns in a an area that was affected in the 2011 England Riots. Critics labels her as careless, suggesting she donate money to a charity that helps young people.

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Britney Spears Refuses to Apologize for ‘Criminal’ Music Video Controversy

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The pop star has responded to complaints regarding a replica gun used on the London set.

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At the same time, her then boyfriend Trawick gained a legal role as co-conservator alongside her dad in 2012. He was later dumped in 2013 and removed, restoring Jamie as the sole conservator. Ultimately, throughout the lifetime of the conservatorship, Spears herself was stripped of her status as a free women due to being so heavily controlled, contributing to her mental health and happiness.

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The release of 'The Intimate Britney Spears'

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The release of 'The Intimate Britney Spears'

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Spear released her lingerie collection in 2014; this article names her as a global icon, as well as 'the most provocative artist to enter the music scene. Despite the relation to the 'sex image' that she portrayed in her youth, this collection shows Spears expressing her desire for women being comfortable in their bodies whilst feeling 'sexy'.

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Global Icon Britney Spears Launching Signature Sleepwear Line: The Intimate Britney Spears

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/PRNewswire/ -- International pop icon Britney Spears has announced her line of sleepwear apparel, The Intimate Britney Spears, with retail partner CHANGE…

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In 2016, Spears launched her own role-play game titled Britney Spears: American Dream, expanding her name and image into the gaming industry.

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Spears for Marie Claire, October issue 2016

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Spears for Marie Claire, October issue 2016

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After covering the front of Marie Claire, Spears discussed her opinions on how motherhood helped alleviate her anxiety, commenting on how her sons were her 'positive force in life'. She discussed how they 'don't care if everything isn't perfect. They don't judge me', hinting to her past mental health issues.

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V covered Spears for their 100th issue, where Stephan Gan selected her because of her 'status as an icon in the industry', Reinforces her status as a celebrated, influential pop star despite her previous multitude of damaging press.

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Britney Spears at 100 — on V Magazine’s 100th Issue, That Is

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V will debut a double issue with a Britney Spears cover story, a retrospective on the magazine and a look at spring fashion.

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Billboard details Spears 'catalogue' being a staple at gay clubs, and her reputation of sharing messages of love and acceptance onto the world and organising a meet and greet for LGBTQ fans in 2015 in participation of an ant-bullying campaign.

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7 Times Britney Spears Earned Her Gay Icon Status

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Britney Spearsâ€™ catalog has been a staple at gay clubs since her debut, so itâ€™s fitting that the pop icon is set to be honored with the Vanguard Award at 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

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This article proposes and answers the question on what makes Spears so adored by gay men. With mention to her 'horribly camptastic Lifetime biopic film, Britney Ever After' , the article discusses how her liberated sex drive gives gay men a taste of identity. It further mentions Spear's early career that was built on 'transgressive messages about frisky sexuality' which brings a sense of empowerment regarding sexuality combined with vulnerability that both Spears and the LGBTQ community have experiences.

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Britney’s most ardent fan base—gay men—speak to the idol’s enduring appeal.

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Across her career and public image, Spears had been recognised as a 'gay icon', and was honoured with the GLAAD Vanguard Award for her role within the community and anthemic songs like ...Baby One More Time and Toxic.

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This article details the origins of the #FreeBritney Movement that began in 2008 after a Rolling Stone article recorded Spears stating her desire for wanting her life back, to drive a car and to live in a house by herself. This shows the extent of conservatorship and how restricted she had become.

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Everything You Need To Know About #FreeBritney

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From its origins to the details of the pop star’s conservatorship, a breakdown of the current controversy surrounding Britney Spears

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The #Free Britney Movement began in 2009 by Jordan Miller over the conservatorship that she was placed under. Fans started to question if Jamie Spears had his daughters best interests prioritised, and expressed concern about the restrictions he had placed upon her.

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The online campaign Breath Heavy created by Jordan Miller for Spears after fans expressed concern over the conservation, allowing people to engage with each other over her best interests. This was a significant milestone by being the origin and a primary driver of the #FreeBritney movement, raising awareness on Spears situation, ultimately leading to its termination in 2021.

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BreatheHeavy is an online community for fans of Britney Spears and pop music. Join the conversation, read news, share photos & social media posts, and stay up-to-date on all of the latest trending topics.

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Britney's Glam Podcast reveal leaked voicemails, 2019

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Britney's Glam Podcast reveal leaked voicemails, 2019

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Britney's Glam podcast released an anonymous voicemail from a paralegal involved in the case that expressed concerns over Jamie's management and the conservatorship's aims; the voicemails alleged that Jamie had cancelled Spears residency due to her refusal on taking medication, and she had violated a 'no driving rule'. This kickstarted the movement and ultimately encouraged Spears voice to finally be heard when testifying later on in June and July.

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DISTURBING VOICEMAIL ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS BEING HELD AGAINST HER WILL IN MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

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Britney: For The Record released in 2008 that documented her own experiences over the past few years, and her desire for independence. 3 other documentaries were also released in the same year, presenting Spears own desperation to change the premise of her the private life.

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Britney Spears: Does the latest documentary tell us anything new?

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Another new documentary examining the singer’s conservatorship is released this weekend.

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This article reveals how Spears life has changed since the end of the conservatorship. Shockingly, under the conservatorship, she had been prevented from removing an IUD that kept her from having another baby. Not only does this remove her liberty from choosing to have a baby, but removes her status as a free women.

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What’s Changed for Britney Spears Post-Conservatorship

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Here’s what we know about how Britney’s life has changed since her conservatorship was terminated