Mental health has been a prominent topic for our pandemic-ridden world these past several months, and perhaps no celebrity’s mental health is talked about more than that of pop star Britney Spears.
Her passionate fans took to Twitter on July 5 with the trending hashtag #FreeBritney in response to Kanye West’s announcement of running for president of the United States. The tweets and trend focused on the double standard between men and women’s mental health and how the media portrays them.
Spears has long-struggled under the public’s watchful eye, and after the singer’s public breakdown in 2007, her father Jamie has since had full control over her welfare and finances. She has been under this conservatorship for 12 years, which legally prevents her from controlling her $59 million fortune.
During an 2019 interview with David Letterman, West opened up being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and described his experience with an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2016. Seeing West’s presidential announcement and the positive feedback he received, Spears supporters believe the female pop star has every right to control her wealth, life, and be treated just as equally in the media.
Spears entered rehab again last year, and she reportedly went again this year when her father got sick and had to be hospitalized. As rumors of her being held against her will have continuously circulating in the media, her fans are have demanded her emancipation using the #FreeBritney hashtag for their online campaign.
If Britney Spears can tour the world, perform a massive multi-year Vegas residency, and be the face of a fragrance empire, then she should be able to drive, vote, choose her own doctor, procure a lawyer, and leave her house without permission. #FreeBritney
It’s weird how Britney Spears has a mental health crisis and gets put into a 10-year conservatorship and loses custody of her kids and Kanye West has a mental health crisis and gets a GAP deal and runs for president 🤷🏻♀️ https://t.co/GV5yOdSDYN
— Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) July 5, 2020
Since the start of 2020, Spears’ conservatorship has already been extended twice and will last until at least August 22, 2020. She has made no comment on the #FreeBritney movement.
West says he’s opened up because of the “strong stigma” around mental health. However, it seems as if he isn’t being stigmatized as much as, perhaps, female celebrities. If Britney had announced that she wanted to run for any type of political office, would she be met with the same level of public support from, say, people like Elon Musk, who supports #Kanye2020?
Katherine Daniel is a writer and current senior at Georgia State University. She will be graduating in December 2020 with a degree in English and creative writing to pursue her passion for storytelling.
Entertainment
#FreeBritney From Toxic Double Standards: How Spears’ and Kanye West’s Mental Health Are Treated Differently
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Mental health has been a prominent topic for our pandemic-ridden world these past several months, and perhaps no celebrity’s mental health is talked about more than that of pop star Britney Spears.
Her passionate fans took to Twitter on July 5 with the trending hashtag #FreeBritney in response to Kanye West’s announcement of running for president of the United States. The tweets and trend focused on the double standard between men and women’s mental health and how the media portrays them.
Spears has long-struggled under the public’s watchful eye, and after the singer’s public breakdown in 2007, her father Jamie has since had full control over her welfare and finances. She has been under this conservatorship for 12 years, which legally prevents her from controlling her $59 million fortune.
During an 2019 interview with David Letterman, West opened up being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and described his experience with an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2016. Seeing West’s presidential announcement and the positive feedback he received, Spears supporters believe the female pop star has every right to control her wealth, life, and be treated just as equally in the media.
Spears entered rehab again last year, and she reportedly went again this year when her father got sick and had to be hospitalized. As rumors of her being held against her will have continuously circulating in the media, her fans are have demanded her emancipation using the #FreeBritney hashtag for their online campaign.
Since the start of 2020, Spears’ conservatorship has already been extended twice and will last until at least August 22, 2020. She has made no comment on the #FreeBritney movement.
West says he’s opened up because of the “strong stigma” around mental health. However, it seems as if he isn’t being stigmatized as much as, perhaps, female celebrities. If Britney had announced that she wanted to run for any type of political office, would she be met with the same level of public support from, say, people like Elon Musk, who supports #Kanye2020?