Popstar, fashion icon, songwriter, dancer: Britney Spears does it all. Britney Spears has been a household name for thirty years; her career has had many ups and downs. Fans of Britney’s have been concerned for her well-being for the past couple of years.

   Britney had a rough year in 2007. She endured several public mental breakdowns and issues regarding her mental health. Her most notable breakdown was on February 18, 2007, when she boldly shaved her head just after she checked out of a rehab facility. Her bald head made headlines everywhere, and concern among fans really began to grow. Britney was in and out of various rehab facilities for alcohol and drug abuse throughout 2007. 

   “Recently, I was sent to a very humbling place called rehab. I truly hit rock bottom. Till this day I don’t think that it was alcohol or depression. I was like a bad kid running around with ADD,” Britney wrote on her website.

   In July of 2007, Britney and her husband Kevin finalized their divorce. Then in October, Britney was demanded by a court order to give up custody of her two kids due to her mental instability and the accusation against her by her bodyguard, Tony Barreto, who accused her of child abuse. To end the horrible year, Britney was put under a conservatorship, managed by her father, Jamie Spears, and attorney, Andrew Wallet.

   A conservatorship is a legal arrangement where a guardian is appointed by a judge to manage the life of an individual due to mental or physical limitations. For 13 years, Britney has been a conservatee to her father. Many of her fans question if this arrangement is still necessary and if Britney is comfortable with being owned, in a sense, by her father. 

   “In August, Spears asked the courts for the removal of her father as sole conservator of her estate,” Insider reported. The court ignored her request, extending the arrangement through February 1, 2021. Court documents have revealed that Britney desires Montgomery, her temporary conservator in 2019, to take over her father’s position. However, her request was denied by Judge Brenda Penny of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. 

   Many deemed the “Free Britney” movement as conspiracy theorists joining together for the sole purpose of stirring up trouble, but her attorney signed documents stating Britney’s desire for her hearings to be public disproved such ideas. 

   “Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” Ingham wrote. Her attorney went on to state that the movement is not a conspiracy theory and that Britney supports the movement.

   “Free Britney” continues to grow traction across various social media platforms and fans will not stop fighting until Britney has complete control of her life. 

   “I think that Britney should be free and that a conservator does not help her, considering her last breakdown was in 2008 which was 13 years ago.” Broughton student Sarah Roane shared.