With the release of the Hulu documentary on the subject, people across the country are talking about the “#FreeBritney” movement. What exactly is this movement? With Britney Spears being one of the biggest pop stars of all time, what could she possibly need freeing from? 

Following Spears’ reputation-ruining breakdown in 2007, she was placed under a conservatorship by her father. A conservatorship is an appointment of a guardian to manage the finances and daily life of another person that is deemed unable to do so themselves.

Britney’s fans and supporters are using social media to acknowledge the situation and to attempt to free her from the conservatorship. Supporters believe that she wants to be freed from the conservatorship herself. Many think that her strange posts to social media are a cry for help.

Some try to analyze and decode any possible hidden messages in Britney’s Instagram and TikTok posts, such as a TikTok user claiming Britney spelled out “help” in an Instagram post through her poses. Britney’s social media has also been the subject of several theories, one being that the Britney we see on her social media is not the real Britney Spears, but a doppelganger that is taking her place. Others argue that Britney is just trying to have fun on social media and post things that make her happy.

Britney’s fans are adamant that she is not mentally incapable as the conservatorship suggests. They say it is wrong to keep her from living her life freely as an adult and keep her away from everything she has earned throughout her career. Many blame her past behavior on the pressure and invasion of privacy that fame and paparazzi attention bring.

Britney’s behavior regarding her breakdown in front of the paparazzi and rehabilitation has been the subject of many jokes over the years on tons of different TV shows. Until the public knows that Britney is safe or not for sure, it is probably best to leave her alone.