Posted February 22, 200718 yr Why Are We Enjoying Britney's Downfall? Written by Daryl D Published February 22, 2007 Building up celebrities and then dropping them deep in the ground is a favorite pastime of many Americans. 1n 1999, Britney was our favorite new pop star with her number one hit, “…Baby One More Time.†She became the idol of millions of teens all over the world and continued to have hit single after hit single. Sure, some ripped on her singing, her sometimes robotic songs, and her silly dance routines, but she wasn’t the demonized person that she has come to be. Where did it go wrong and why do we love seeing Britney’s self destruction? I would say the Britney backlash had its origins when she performed “I’m a Slave for You†at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001. Innocent, sexy Britney turned into sleazy (but still sexy) Britney. The album this single came from, Britney, didn’t have the impact of her past albums. Then, Britney did the ultimate no for a pop diva: she released a movie, Crossroads, which didn’t exactly win rave reviews. Crossroads was actually a decent, fun film. Still, we hate our pop divas to be movie stars: just ask Mariah Carey or Madonna! In 2003, Britney went from being sleazy to being outrageously raunchy. Like Janet Jackson, she was going to strut her true stuff now that she was an adult. She kissed Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (Christina did too, remember?) during a performance of “Hollywood.†She released her best album to date, In the Zone, with overly sexual themes. The killer dance track, “Toxic,†became a top ten hit in America and a number one hit throughout the world. In The Zone sold around 3 million copies in the U.S.A, a very respectable amount considering the state of the record industry. Still, many critics and music industry insiders were happy to call Britney's career “over with.†They couldn’t stand to see a pop star, who was predicted to fail after her first album, still score hits. Britney seemed to be caving into the pressure. In early 2004, she briefly married her childhood friend, Jason Alexander, for fifty-five hours and declared afterwards, “I wanted to see what it was like to be married.†This mock marriage earned the condemnation of people everywhere. Perhaps she thought she could win the public approval if she entered a “true†marriage. By September of 2004, she married Kevin Federline, a man who would further tarnish Britney’s reputation by convincing her to do a television reality series, Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, which drew laughs from viewers but not for the reasons the Federlines wanted. One would think that the birth of her son, Sean Preston, would have helped her image, but that wasn’t the case. Soon, Britney was seen by most as “Mommy Dearest,†especially when she was caught driving with her baby unrestrained on her lap. Britney tried to do damage control with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer, but she came off looking like a trailer park has-been who clearly was losing her mental stability. She had her second son, Jayden James Federline in September of 2006. Many felt sorry for the newborn given that he was being raised in an unstable home, or several homes. When Britney filed for divorce in November of 2006, many were rooting for her. They respected her for trying to regain her independence. Her “comeback†became the hot topic of blogs everywhere. But the comeback lost momentum after Britney Spears appeared in several photos without her panties. Instead of looking sexy, it looked desperate. Fans started filling Britney’s message boards, telling her to put clothes back on. This last week, we’ve seen the worst of Britney. Hours after rumors that Britney had entered an off-shore drug rehab, Britney was photographed at a salon in Sherman Oaks after shaving her head. She then decided to get multiple tattoos. On Tuesday, February 20th, 2007, Britney readmitted herself to a California treatment facility. A statement by her manager read, "We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time." Within the past couple days, public dissatisfaction with Britney has reached it’s highest. From radio commenters hoping she’ll become the next “Anna Nicole Smith,†to religious leaders making her the poster girl for all evil in this world, the reaction to Britney’s downfall has become absolutely pathetic. Throughout listening to all the news stories on the television set and reading Internet blogs, you would think that there would be people hoping for Britney to pull through. Unfortunately, there is nothing but hate. It’s as if Britney killed a child of theirs. Could we be punishing Britney because she exposes something in ourselves we don't like? None of us are morally perfect, but it is certainly fun to say we are and then bash those who screw up. Could we be punishing Britney because we’re jealous? Lets face it, how many of us ever wanted to be famous? Britney, over the past decade, has become the symbol of fame. Perhaps we just couldn’t live vicariously though her, like we do other stars. We love to see our superstars scream, cry, overdose on drugs, have mental breakdowns, etc. It makes us feel so good. But we have to ask ourselves why? There seems to be a void in us that trashing a celebrity fills. It’s a void of extreme insecurity. If we live our lives to our fullest, achieve what we can without blaming people on our shortcomings, and get to the point where we feel comfortable in our own skin, we can then ignore celebrity breakdowns. If we can’t ignore them, then perhaps we can wish all the best for the rehab celebrity of the moment instead of turning their downfalls into victories for us. SOURCE
February 23, 200718 yr She was always a putdown target from early on in her career. Even prior to that article's mentions were the Rolling Stone cover and the 2000's VMA performance. As I've been a fan of her music right from the start, I'm not enjoying her current situation at all.
February 23, 200718 yr Author She was always a putdown target from early on in her career. Even prior to that article's mentions were the Rolling Stone cover and the 2000's VMA performance. As I've been a fan of her music right from the start, I'm not enjoying her current situation at all. Nice to know you're a fan! You should post in here more often
February 23, 200718 yr well michael jackson said a few years ago at fir the media likes to build you up and then when you become very succesfull and breaks alot of records they get jelous and try to bring you down that happent every artist and bands out there except for maybe..... oasis lol!!
February 23, 200718 yr Author well michael jackson said a few years ago at fir the media likes to build you up and then when you become very succesfull and breaks alot of records they get jelous and try to bring you down that happent every artist and bands out there except for maybe..... oasis lol!! Lol, that's a good point.
February 23, 200718 yr Poor Britney! I'm actually worried what she'll do if her kids are taken away from her
