Britney Spears' fans have argued that her recent "problematic" social media posts are to be expected, after what she went through with her conservatorship, and numerous personal issues.
The pop star has become incredibly vocal and honest online, especially on Instagram, since regaining full control of her own life.
Recent social media posts have seen Spears share extensive voice notes discussing her family life, sharing risque images of herself naked, and recently she revealed a post in which she seemingly "fat-shamed" Christina Aguilera's dancers.
Spears has since backtracked on her comments and claimed she was not trying to be critical of Aguilera's "beautiful body."
While Spears' comment section is usually filled with supportive messages from passionate fans, the initial post mentioning Aguilera was met with backlash from people demanding she delete the Instagram message.
Plus-sized model Natalie Drue commented straight away. "Ooop this is far from cool, Brit," she wrote, with many others echoing her sentiment.
"This is so wrong, there is so much more to life than looking thin," another Instagram user commented, with another simply saying, "You need to delete this."
Others who seemingly stand by Spears and her social media posts appeared disappointed in her statement. "Queen noooooo" typed one fan while another explained, "Britney, this ain't it. I know you've missed a lot, but it's 2022."
Discussions of Spears' Instagram statement spread across social media, becoming a talking point on the message boards of Reddit.
@whoralinejones got thousands of upvotes for their take on Spears' recent social media activity.
"Was nobody else fully expecting her to post some problematic [stuff] as soon as the conservatorship ended?" they asked rhetorically. "I assumed she would make mistakes like this, because that's the behavior outcome that makes sense for what she endured and how long she's been under total control.
"She isn't whatever fictionalized unproblematic queen people propped her up as, she's a real, traumatized, [...] person and this is what that looks like," they wrote.
After Spears posted her initial statement about Aguilera and her backup dancers, Aguilera reportedly unfollowed Spears on Instagram.
"I know she had it hard but Britney Spears fat shaming is NOT cool," @PatrickJames__ wrote on Twitter, "She seems a tad obsessed with xtina if ya ask me."
Spears needs to change the direction her Instagram account is heading in, in order to win back fans according to PR expert Jude Engelmayer.
"Clearly she is venting and feeling a sense of freedom that Ms Spears thought she didn't have before. It's not healthy in the long run, but it is obviously entertaining and is helping grow her fan base," Engelmayer, CEO of HeraldPR told Newsweek.
"In the long run it can make her a caricature instead of someone respected," he continued.
"If she takes the newly acquired fans and followers, and changes her tone toward her music and maybe ideas of charity, healthy living, or serves as a women's advocate and other useful and thoughtful matters, she can do wonders for her career and persona that would be lasting and meaningful."
Newsweek has reached out to Spears and her representatives for further comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
