Posted February 25, 200718 yr Defending Britney This is the second time I have defended Britney Spears, whose singing I abhor. I can't believe I'm doing this. I should be writing about how Australia is set to ban incandescent light bulbs in favour of fluorescent. Or maybe about the U.S. company that is now selling stun guns to the general public. (I want the pink metallic one.) But no. I've got to write about la Brit. The first time I defended her, I did so over her decision to have a C-section when she gave birth to her first son in September of 2005. (She did it all over again with her second boy a year later.) She was roundly criticized for not pushing like the rest of us, so I felt a need to point out that it was her business, not ours. Telling a pregnant woman what to do - unless you're her doctor - is rude. More recently, Britney has either done or been accused of a) appearing in public without underpinnings; B) partying a ton; c) acquiring head lice; d) shaving her head; e) getting a tattoo; f) bouncing in and out of rehab; and g) being a bad mom. All right, then. What to do about the mess that seems to be Britney? The answer is nothing. If she's truly into drugs and too much booze, let her do rehab in peace. If she is emotionally distraught, let her find a good shrink and get shrunk in private. It won't happen of course. Everybody wants the opportunity to slag her. Take for example her ex, Kevin Federline, now father of four, who left his previous family to marry Britney. He's already getting spousal support and keeps threatening to seek custody of the children - the two with Britney. Her behaviour has been called everything from bizarre to self destructive to downright evil. It could be. But I suspect Britney is just being a bad girl for whatever reason. Could it be because she married young (twice) and had two children too quickly with a poor choice of a husband? More importantly, I wonder why it is cool to be a bad boy, but not a bad girl? Remember Johnny Depp's wild years? The trashed hotel rooms? The parties? How about Russell Crowe, who bashed a hotel employee with a phone? What of Colin Farrell, who has at times tried to outdrink and out- other things? Or that wonderful actor, Peter O'Toole, who by the way, at a mere 74, looks 102. There are endless examples of male celebs doing dreadful things, only to emerge later as exemplary family men. Or not. Compare that with what happens to bad girls. Ingrid Bergman was banned from Hollywood for seven years for her 1949 affair with Roberto Rossellini, whom she later married. Her career was almost ruined. More recently, Scarlett Johansson found herself labelled a skank after the paparazzi caught her enjoying the company of various men on various occasions. Fearing, probably correctly, that the label might impact on her career, she issued a definitive statement saying: "I am not promiscuous." Label a Depp or a Farrell promiscuous and you'll get laughed at. Label a Johansson that and she has to take the scarlet letter seriously. So, Britney, if you need counselling about drugs, alcohol and bad marriages, I'm behind you. And if you want to be a bad girl now and again, that's fine by me, too. Although, maybe next time, you could just dye your hair magenta instead of shaving it off. You have no idea how difficult it is to step up to the plate for somebody whose singing makes you gag, but somebody has to defend Britney Spears. I volunteered. I was not drafted. Source: The Edmonton Sun
