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February 18, 2008

Britney

Since Britney Spears started her rise to fame back in '99 with "Baby, One More Time" she has gone from being the most famous woman in the world to the most infamous of all pop stars. Her first album sold more than 13 million copies in the States alone and her face was on the cover of every magazine possible. In the past couple of years however, her fall from grace has been put on display like none who have come before her. Even the combined controversies of the Jackson family cannot come close to the amount of damage illustrated through Ms. Spears. A close friend of Spears says that she is alone, saying, "There's one instant with everyone where she freaks out and suddenly says, 'I don't trust you, and I don't know what's going on.'" She doesn't have a manager, publicist, stylist, image consultant...even Jive records, her "musical home," no longer speaks to her directly. The only one among her family that she communicates with now is her sister, Jamie Lynn, whom she talks with on the phone every now and then. It is has been suggested that in 2007 she accounted for more than 20% of all tabloid sales, which, all this leads me to question, like many, "What happened?"

As I read an article in Rollingstone entitled, "Britney Spears, An American Tragedy," I discovered that her life over the past 10 years has been not only about her, but about many around her. Britney signed a record deal with Jive records when she was 15-years-old, and the creation of a virgin clueless of her sexual flirtation followed. This, of course, was an image used to push records off the shelves...and it eventually polluted her soul with a distrust of all people and a determination to prove all wrong who thought she was a sweet and innocent young lady.

She grew up in a JonBenet-world of pageants and singing contests, which had her attending choir, dance, and gymnastic lessons by the age of three, she eventually got a coveted role on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club around age 10. Just a few years later she made the jump to the TRL crowd along with Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. This was a time for Britney of much success, but many downfalls came with the high-rise experiences.

The first downfall came when she, along with her mother, decided to get breast implants because they thought the public demanded it. However, she wasn't allowed to discuss any part of the change, which gave her the idea of needing to be more, but without the freedom of honesty of what she had done. This led to shame and an unawareness of her personhood. A former choreographer tells of her lack of confidence in herself, "Britney would come offstage after performing in front of 15 to 16,000 people and start crying because she thought she was terrible, the girl doesn't know who she is." It was at this point that the product was becoming too much. Her childhood friends from Kentwood, Louisiana where she grew up say, "There were meetings where people would fight about giving Britney a break, but in the end the machine always won." Drugs soon became the prescription for blowing off stress.

Justin Timberlake kept Britney grounded, but when the relationship ended the lifting of her roots began. He had encouraged her to stay away from the drugs and to not intermingle with those who brought them around. She became dependent on his strength. One friend speaks of Timberlake, "He became the great force in her life, but it started a pattern-she began to look for guys to help her get away from the people who control her." Of course, neither were allowed to discuss the matter of their relationship, which continued a theme with no real identity in sight.

It seems that the constant lack of care and concern for Britney Spears, the person, eventually crushed her. Plain and simple, she hasn't been taken care of. To say that she's been used and abused by those close to her is an understatement. This has all led to a lack of trust on Britney's part to extreme measures. She literally feels as though she has no one on her side, except for, ironically, those who still stick around to make more money off her image, the paparrazzi. Everyday in L.A. there are approximately 100 camera-men who wait to get a picture of the most mundane of errands run by Britney. She can trust that they will be there, and will be excited to see her coming. They are her most dedicated.

My hope for Britney Spears is that she will somehow be brought close to the Father. I pray, yes, pray, that God would put people in her life to help realize that He has created her for good things...some of which may include her musical talents. I pray that she would come to discover that she, without any of her talents, is still worth who she has been created to be, a human being...loved by God.

| By Nathan Gemayel | 10:31 PM

Comments

Posted by: Neil E. Das at February 19, 2008 1:53 AM

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