Framing Britney

The New York Times documentary brings a new perspective to the downfall of the pop artist, who struggled with mental health issues

By Ellie Roth

The Britney Spears drama has been brought into a new light by the documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” the sixth episode of “The New York Times” investigative documentary series. The story follows the rise and dramatic fall of Britney Spears, iconic pop star turned cultural pariah of the early 2000s. During the mid 2000s, Spears was aggressively hunted down by the paparazzi until her highly publicized breakdown. She was ridiculed in the media and made a laughingstock on national television, all while she was dealing with a messy divorce, substance abuse, and mental health issues. Unlike many stories published about Spears in the past, the documentary explores a new side of the Britney Spears spectacle—one that focuses on mental health and media bias.

The documentary is focused on Britney’s conservatorship, a legal agreement arranged by the court after her mental health hospitalization in 2008. Because of this, Britney’s father controls everything about her life—finances, career choices, and medical decisions. In most cases, conservatorships are designed for a person who can no longer be trusted to take care of themselves or their finances; often this is the elderly. Britney’s case is strange because when she entered into the conservatorship, she was only 26. It is nearly impossible to completely remove oneself from a conservatorship.

When watching the documentary, I was almost in shock about how outrageous a conservatorship seemed for Britney Spears’ case. That’s the theme of this documentary—why is Britney Spears, a 39-year-old woman who clearly struggled with anxiety and depression as a result of the stress she endured under the watchful and judgemental eye of the media and the world, deemed inadequate to control her own life? If her mental breakdown had occurred today, in 2021, would a conservatorship even be possible?

The sad case of Britney Spears makes us look at how our attitudes towards mental health have changed in the past decade. As I watched this documentary, it seemed to me that Britney’s breakdown was caused by the pressures put on her from a young age and the ruthless reporters who captured her every move. The world hung onto her every action, waiting with bated breath for her to put one toe out of line. She was judged for how she raised her kids, how she spent her time, and who she was dating. From the hundreds of clips shown in the documentary of her being relentlessly badgered by the paparazzi, it seemed impossible for her to get any sort of privacy, let alone cope with and learn how to handle her mental well-being.

Britney never needed a conservatorship—she needed a break. The documentary follows her career as her mental health deteriorates. Her conservatorship was a product of the time she lived in—a time when mental health wasn’t taken as seriously as it is now. If Britney had shaved her head and attacked a reporter’s car with an umbrella in 2021, the conversation would be a lot different. 

For this reason, yes—I too join the masses of people calling for an end to Britney’s conservatorship. Let’s hear what she has to say. Let me order my #FreeBritney off Etsy and live in peace.