After a New York Times documentary dissected the career of Britney Spears earlier this year, networks and studios are clamoring to release tell-all exposés of their own about the singer amid her reported battle against her conservatorship.
Back in February, Framing Britney Spears was released to the world, and its contents quickly dominated online discussion.
The exploitation and harassment of famous women in the aughts was one of the main talking points following the documentary, with many viewers left shocked at the level of press intrusion these celebrities endured.
However, despite the documentary apparently aiming to reexamine this time period and hold people accountable, some viewers raised questions about whether it continued the exploitation of Britney. And, with a slew of other tell-all projects reportedly in the works, the question is — who are they really helping?
Britney herself had kept her thoughts about the documentary private following its release, but last month she revealed she was “embarrassed” by it and had cried for weeks as a result.
“My life has always been very speculated, watched, and judged really my whole life,” she said in an Instagram post. “I have been exposed my whole life performing in front of people.”
“It takes a lot of strength to TRUST the universe with your real vulnerability cause I've always been so judged, insulted, and embarrassed by the media, and I still am till this day,” she went on. “As the world keeps on turning and life goes on we still remain so fragile and sensitive as people!”
“I didn’t watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in,” the 39-year-old added. “I cried for two weeks and I still cry sometimes.”
But, despite Britney’s reluctance to see her private life aired so publicly once more, various other documentaries are apparently in the works, once again raising the question of whether they’re helping the singer or just exploiting her further.
In response to news about the documentaries, fans made their opinions known, calling them “disgusting” and accusing the studios of “exploiting her troubles again.”
@spears_central disgusting, now everyone are making documentaries about britney to earn money of her fame, pretty much the same money hungry fucks that chased her around with cameras in 2006-2007... don't you see it? one documentary was enough, highlighting a problem, now its just abusive.
@spears_central Exploiting her troubles again
Another, who claimed to have worked for documentary companies in the past, said that they “didn’t even talk about her well-being” when discussing the prospect of a new film.
i really hate documentary companies. i last worked in one in 2019/2020 and when the britney stuff was starting to become more popular they didn't even talk about her well-being, they just kept talking about how they can make it into a film. these people really don't care https://t.co/sGWSBBaAvh
Others said the documentaries were not “offering any real help” and were instead just repeating the cycle from 2007 under the guise of trying to help and shed light on the matter.
This is not what she needs. They are doing exactly what the media did years ago: exploiting her and not offering any real help. https://t.co/yZgAYcg3Pi
At the end of Framing Britney Spears, a note explained that the production team had reached out to the singer for the documentary but had not heard back. In fact, they weren’t even sure if she’d actually received the request.
But Britney’s recent response to the documentary begs the question: Did she fail to receive the request, or simply decide against participating in a documentary that she hadn’t authorized in the first place?
One thing is clear: Britney will speak about her own life and career when she’s ready to. In the meantime, she’s happy to enjoy her life privately and away from the glare of a million cameras.
“Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories!” she wrote in an Instagram post a few days after the release of Framing Britney Spears. “Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.”