Deconstructing Britney Spears: stardom, meltdown and conservatorship

ABSTRACT Using a diverse set of research sources, this article critically examines the trajectory of singer Britney Spears over four decades, from her first steps towards fame to the unfolding of the #FreeBritney movement. In the first part, the study addresses her origins as a rural girl from a working-class family in Louisiana and how she was meticulously constructed like ‘Miss American Dream’. It then analyzes her unsuccessful attempt to break free from the team of agents, pushing her into a series of controversial episodes and her self-destruction – including her reputation as a ‘bad mother’ – overly covered by the media. And in the final part, it is discussed how she was pressured to reconstruct her image and regain her musical career, while falling victim to a 13-year conservatorship that is a unique case in the celebrity world. The argument that permeates the examination is that her trajectory that combines megastardom, overprotection, self-destruction and rebirth involves a dialectical conflict between exploitation and resistance, affirmation and denial of celebrity status.