Public enemy or crowd favorite? The power struggle between Britney Spears and the media

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Britney Spears VS PaparazziPhoto: AP

Throughout the 20th century, the paparazzi established itself as one of the most prominent genres of the entertainment industry: it appealed to the masses and starred in it (mostly reluctantly) the biggest stars, in a way that audiences did not normally see – that is, in the most intimate and close way possible. They have to do it until then.

In the pre-social era and when the internet was still in its infancy, we had the opportunity to see our favorite celebs mostly only in their workplaces and while sitting in the audience – on the big or small screen, theater stages or fashion shows for example. The paparazzi abolished the barriers between the celebs and the public and voyeurized moments in their personal lives – which made it a favorite of the people but much less beloved by the subjects of photography.

The genre flourished mainly in the 90s and early 2000s, so it seemed that paparazzi photographers were checking boundaries and trying to achieve the most sensational images in any way possible, often endangering their lives and the lives of stars along the way to achieve the coveted image – and enough Mention the circumstances of Princess Diana, That paparazzi photographers chased after her car until it crashed, as a striking and tragic example.

The Hollywood stars had a common enemy, but they did not have much to do against him. And one of those who suffered the most from the comfort of his arm, was Britney Spears.

Individuals suffered similarly from the media attitude (Photo: GettyImages)

Individuals suffered like her from the media attitudePhoto: GettyImages

Spears rose to prominence in the late 90s with addictive pop hits, invested clips and mostly an image that was clear in advance that she would make headlines, of a young girl (not yet 18 when her first single came out) who knew how to play perfectly on the seam between an innocent girl and a seductive lolita.

Beyond that, her personal life also aroused quite a bit of interest: she was the partner of Justin Timberlake, Who was himself one of the biggest stars in the world (who among you was not around in those years, imagine the Noa Kirl andJonathan Margie And multiply by a few million), and there was also the intimate piece of information that Spears and her entourage decided to volunteer, for still being a virgin and saving herself for marriage.

In an age where Hollywood stars were perceived as a sex symbol, but at the same time required to be modest and pure otherwise they would be criticized and criticized – Spears took advantage of the situation to her advantage. On the one hand she stated that despite her loose appearance she was still a “good girl”, and on the other hand she added to the level of interest and curiosity around her. Today, needless to say, such a thing would not have passed smoothly, especially given that Spears’ virginity statement brought with her unconsciously, something else the star’s staff apparently did not anticipate – a media permit to poke around as much as possible in her private life. And it wasn’t just about particularly embarrassing questions from interviewers who felt comfortable asking her if she was indeed still a virgin.

The largest power couple of the early 2000s.  Spears and Justin Timberlake (Photo: GettyImages)

The largest power couple of the early 2000s. Spears and Justin TimberlakePhoto: GettyImages

The media has never really been on Britney’s side. Even at the height of her success, when she soared up and sold millions upon millions, she received much contempt and ridicule and was not taken seriously. When she occupied the first places in the parades and broke sales records, there were those who saw her as a “puppet on a string.” When she scorched the stages and proved that she is a performer from the start – the criticisms rebuked her for her revealing attire and for degrading the youth. A lot of appreciation as you can understand – she did not get. And all this created the ground for the hostile and aggressive treatment it was slowly beginning to receive from the paparazzi, tabloids and the media in general.

A singer with huge hits and a graceful performer, who was not appreciated (Photo: GettyImages)

A singer with huge hits and a graceful performer, who was not appreciatedPhoto: GettyImages

In the early 2000s Spears was still the biggest star in the world. The media has dropped her quite a bit, but it would seem that she is not really succeeding in segmenting the shell of the armor that the star wore as the international superstar she was. But then things started to deteriorate – the breakup of Justin Timberlake brought with it another bad publicity (not least his fault, when he wisely and thoughtfully played the role of victim), her world tour was severely killed and it seemed that in general, she was starting to loathe her glamorous life.

Then she also met the one who became her husband, the dancer Kevin Federline, And the two made a poor reality show that definitely dimmed the star’s glamor. Spears and Federline gave birth to two children and their marriage lasted only three years, until their divorce in 2007.

Ex who prefer to forget.  Spears and Kevin Federline (Photo: Gettyimage)

Ex who prefer to forget. Spears and Kevin FederlinePhoto: Gettyimage

At that time – the paparazzi’s hunt for Spears reached its peak and it seemed that as far as it was concerned, the checkpoints and borders were completely removed. Herds of paparazzi attacked her wherever she went, surrounded her car without allowing her to move and did everything they could to get another picture of her.

Many stars have suffered a paralysis of paparazzi photographers over the years. In the early 2000s for example there was a sucking trend where young stars who allowed themselves to have fun and spend time at parties, such as Paris Hilton,
Lindsay Lohan andTara Reid, Received a barrage of insults from the media and the public. But in the case of Spears there have certainly been new negative records. One might perhaps compare the treatment she received only to that which was around Princess Diana as aforesaid towards her death, and also around Michael Jackson During the 1980s and 1990s. And just as Jackson sometimes provided the goods that photographers so longed for (the incident in which he grabbed his baby son from a hotel balcony, for example), so Spears often stumbled in front of the cameras, for example when she cultivated a strange habit of going barefoot to gas stations. Another time – photographers turned their cameras between her legs while getting out of a carriage, and found that she was not wearing underwear. Of course the photos were posted the next day wherever possible. Today it is called sexual harassment, but then it was considered fair play and Spears was on the slanderous and losing side.

And if such and other cases caused ridicule towards her, other cases provoked criticism and outrage – such as paparazzi photos documenting her driving while her baby was on her lap. These of course have garnered headlines and widespread and angry public criticism for her parenting skills. She had to explain that she was trying to escape from the photographers while calming her frightened son. This was not the only time photographers chased her while her children were with her.

Photographers had no boundaries.  Britney Spears and her son Sean in 2006 (Photo: Splashnews)

Photographers had no boundaries. Britney Spears and her son Sean in 2006Photo: Splashnews

The climax of course came on that strange day in February 2007, when she walked into her hairdresser, took a razor and shaved all her hair in front of the cameras. Shortly afterwards, another infamous picture arrived – in which she vented her anger on a paparazzi photographer’s car with the help of an umbrella.

Spears has gone from a global superstar to a star of a particularly yellow circus – and the media and the audience enjoyed every moment at her expense. The fact that in a surprising twist in the plot, she cooperated with the enemy and began dating Eden Galib, One of the paparazzi photographers who used to follow her.

Aside from the tabloids that started investing in their paparazzi sections particularly large resources and budgets, these were also the years of the rise of blogs and gossip sites, which made their living by as much filth and poison on the celebs as possible – like that of Perez Hilton For example, who became a celeb himself thanks to his successful blog. Spears really was not the only one who became a victim in their hands but she was without a doubt one of the most talked about issues among them.

The upheaval came after another moment of slump that occurred in January 2008 – when Spears imprisoned herself in one of the rooms of her home along with her sons, refusing to hand them over to Federline who was supposed to take them to him on probation. Rescuers were called to the house and Spears was forcibly removed from it while she was tied to a stretcher, from where she was taken to the hospital – when this situation is also well documented.

Particularly disturbing moment A (Photo: Mega)

Particularly disturbing moment A.Photo: Mega


Particularly disturbing moment B (Photo: Daily News)

Particularly disturbing moment BPhoto: Daily News

At this point it seemed that from this situation Spears would already have a hard time recovering, let alone her career. But then her father came in Jamie Spears For the picture, he took matters into his own hands and Spears has been chained to a custody that has been talked about so much for the past two years.

Jamie and Spears’ new team have set themselves the goal of restoring its image and accordingly, so there has also been a shift in the media’s attitude towards it – hatred, venom and persecution have become glorifying and loving headlines. Spears was now an underdog and suddenly everyone was in favor of her.

Although the photographers continued to follow her at times, the madness around her almost disappeared and her photos became more legitimate and refined. It certainly contributed to the fact that Spears was now completely surrounded and protected under custody and also the fact that she herself was already less exposed to the public and did not give the photographers what they wanted.

The comeback begins: Spears was the big winner at the 2008 VMA Awards (Photo: AP)

The start of the comeback: Spears was the big winner at the 2008 VMAsPhoto: AP

At the same time, Spears’ relationship with the media continued to be fickle. Although in 2008 she returned to the top (at least ostensibly), both in terms of image and career, in the following years it was clear that something was wrong in the kingdom. More than once she behaved a bit strangely (and evidently – the many Instagram videos she posted and made her a network star – not necessarily in a positive section) and gave interviews where at best she looked embarrassed and did not really know what to say, and at worst she seemed to want to be anywhere else just not On the interviewee’s throne.

In recent years Spears has repeatedly criticized the paparazzi, but not necessarily for the treatment she received in the past but for the way she felt they were harassing her now – and accused the media of refurbishing her photos in order to make her look worse. Spears posted a number of Instagram videos in which she scolded photographers for doing Photoshop for photos, asked her followers what they thought she looked like and stated, “I’m as thin as a needle!”.

The thing is, this time they did not really know how to treat her. On the one hand, her behavior was very strange, on the other hand – it was clear that something was wrong and on the third hand the mystery surrounding her added to the curiosity around her.

Of course, the past year, in which the conditions in which Spears has lived for the past 13 years under her father’s custody, has caused many to strike at sin and take mental account of the way she was treated, from Justin Timberlake apologizing to many media outlets admitting what they did to her and other women In an industry that was also slandered, it was really wrong and unfair. Samantha Barry, Editor of the website Glamor, summed it up nicely: “I hope we are in a place where we will not do such things anymore, that we will not miss stars, especially women, only to tear them to pieces later.”

So right now on the scale of the world’s complex attitude towards Spears, it seems that now the balance is in her favor again, especially now that she has been released from her father’s shackles and in his hands. While Spears may not have been the only one snatched from the media, she was certainly one of those who suffered the most from her. Thankfully, if we insist on finding a positive point, then one can take comfort in the fact that she is among the last to receive such treatment. In recent years, the world and the media in particular have been operating on the purity of political correctness – an aggressive and hostile attitude like the one it received in the previous round is no longer welcomed and only those who really commit a crime are abducted.

Her hand on the top.  Britney Spears (Photo: Gettyimages)

Her hand on the top. Britney SpearsPhoto: Gettyimages

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