“Framing Britney Spears” gives inside look to pop icon’s life

Why is everyone talking about the one and only Britney Spears? And if I let you know, would you hold it against me? According to The New York Times Presents’ “Framing Britney Spears,” the “Hit Me Baby One More Time” singer has always been a kind, strong-minded woman. The documentary begins by recalling Spears’ sudden and heavily scrutinized rise to fame.

Parents often had complaints about Spears’ clothing — or lack thereof — along with her dance moves and song lyrics. The “risqué” image of Britney Spears hit its peak after dating Justin Timberlake. Timberlake claimed Spears cheated on him and the media shamed her for this without missing a beat. The misogyny expressed by the media was accepted as the truth. From the scandal with Justin, being followed by paparazzi, and losing custody of her children somewhere along the way Spears’ mental health deteriorated. That is where the conservatorship comes in.

For those who do not know, a conservatorship is when a judge appoints someone to manage the finances and daily life of another due to age or mental limitations. Spears’ conservatorship puts her father, Jamie Spears, in control of her daily life and finances. Her father was not often around during Britney’s rise to fame. Whether conservatorship was needed in the first place is heavily debated, but it is now clear to many that Spears has the mental capacity to make some decisions and she wants out of this arrangement with her father. Let’s be clear, it seems she is not fighting the conservatorship itself, but the fact that her father is conservator of her estate. He previously was the conservator to both estate and daily activities. In a document, Britney basically thanks her fans for staying informed and speaking out.

The documentary closes with Spears attempting to remove her father as conservator but failing. Now, a trusted lawyer will co-conservator the estate with him. It is believed Spears’ father believes he would be hurting his daughter by stepping down.

“Framing Britney Spears” is available for streaming on Hulu and FX.