ICYMI: Britney Spears’ Halloween costume has taken fans by storm.
On Monday night, Spears unveiled her highly anticipated look on Instagram, and it’s safe to say that it quickly got fans talking.
Spears shared a series of photos and videos of herself dressed as a murder mystery victim. For the costume, she was handcuffed, covered in fake blood, and lying on the floor.
And while many fans were shocked by the “alarming” look alone, Spears’ elaborate caption caused even more conversation.
BuzzFeed News uncovered abuse, neglect, and death across the guardianship industry. Read our investigative series "Beyond Britney" here.
Alongside the photos, the pop star detailed a story — which appeared to include a few jabs at her family — about a victim of an unexplained murder. Spears has long accused her family of failing to help her over the past 13 years while she struggled under the terms of her conservatorship.
Spears’ conservatorship has seen her life and finances legally controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, and lawyers since 2008.
“5:45 … she arrived … the doorman said she came home alone !!! She went to dinner with two girlfriends and had 1 drink … took a cab home but was found on the floor by her neighbor … it remains a mystery,” Spears began.
“… who would do such a thing ??? She had a wonderful family and of course they were nowhere nearby !!!!” she wrote. Many interpreted this as a sarcastic nod toward her family’s lack of support for her.
Spears then turned the focus directly onto her own family with more digs. She called her parents out for banning her from driving before alluding to her lack of freedom for the past 13 years.
“I’m saying in a crazy world like we have today that it’s pretty important to stay safe !!! Like we did for Covid y’all !!!! But still have fun … I mean duh !!! It’s been 13 years for me so I’m a little rusty !!!!”
“Ma and dad can I drive my car now ??? JUST KIDDING … but seriously, can I play now ????” she added.
Spears’ post was quickly flooded with comments suggesting that the costume was an intentional metaphor for her lack of freedom in light of her ongoing battle to end her conservatorship.
When Spears first spoke out against the conservatorship back in June, she publicly denounced her family and likened her treatment to “abuse.” Specifically, Spears expressed her frustration at not being able to drive in a car with her now-fiancé, Sam Asghari.
“I just want my life back,” Spears said in court. “It’s been 13 years. And it’s enough. All I want is to own my money, for this to end, and my boyfriend to drive me in his fucking car.”
So, after fans connected Spears’ past comments about not being able to drive to the direct shade in her recent caption, many went on to interpret the rest of the story as a wider message also relating to the pop star’s life over the past 13 years.
“This has been her for those past 13 years that she’s speaking of,” one fan commented.
“So basically she Dressed up as ‘Britney under conservatorship,’” another fan commented under a repost of Spears’ photos.
“This isn’t just for halloween! This is powerful message,” another wrote.
Many were quick to pick up on the jabs presumably fired at her family in light of their alleged lack of support.
“It’s the ‘wonderful family’ for me,” read one of the top comments, which received over 5,000 likes.
However, many other fans were offended by the post, with some labeling her costume "insensitive" in light of the recent and ongoing murders of young women around the world.
“In a world where every day women are killed, i dont think this was a good idea,” one person wrote.
@breatheonmiley In a world where every day women are killed, i dont think this was a good idea🤔....whatever..
“This is unsettling, even if for a Halloween post,” one fan commented on Instagram.
“Britney honey... this can be triggering for a lot of victims out there... be mindful please,” another wrote.
And lots of fans were seemingly left speechless at the costume, leaving comments questioning the entire meaning of the post.
Elsewhere, the conversation continued on Twitter, with many fans voicing their opinions about Spears' look and what the message behind it might be.
“britney’s halloween costume has a serious/strong meaning behind it. i mean fr she has been a silenced victim for 13 years!” one fan wrote.
britney’s halloween costume has a serious/strong meaning behind it. i mean fr she has been a silenced victim for 13 years!
Another fan echoed this, suggesting that Spears’ costume and caption were an attempt at conveying “the concept of conservatorship.”
@FreebritneyR @breatheonmiley This is halloween and she delivered the concept of conservatorship if you understand better
This isn’t the first time that fans have drawn inexplicit meanings from one of Spears’ Instagram posts. In fact, just months ago, many interpreted a post that the pop star had shared about being “locked in a bathroom” as a metaphor for her “impending freedom.”
Back in August, a week after her attorney filed documents to suspend Jamie Spears as conservator of her estate, the “Toxic” singer shared a lengthy caption detailing her experience of being locked in her bathroom in the middle of the night.
In the caption, Spears described feeling trapped and without a voice while desperately trying to get out of the bathroom before eventually becoming reenergized and managing to escape.
And given that Spears’ post came just days after one of the first major turning points in her ongoing battle for freedom, potentially inspiring newfound hope, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the singer had been alluding to her life more broadly with her lengthy caption.
What’s more, Spears has been especially vocal on Instagram in recent months, sharing a series of captions about her family and lack of freedom as her legal battle has seemingly continued to shift in her favor.
Last month, after news broke that Jamie Spears had been suspended from his role, Spears took to Instagram to call her family out in a series of scathing posts.
“I suggest if you have a friend that’s been in a house that feels really small for four months … no car … no phone … no door for privacy and they have to work around 10 hours a day 7 days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off … I strongly suggest you go pick up your friend and get them the hell outta there,” she wrote in one caption.
“If you’re like my family who says things like 'sorry, you’re in a conservatorship' … probably thinking you’re different so they can fuck with you !!!!” she added.
And Spears detailed feeling like a “caged animal” for “half” of her life in a second post shared a day later.
"do I know the challenge in waiting around during a shoot ... I feel like I have been a caged animal for half of my life,” she wrote — which, again, fans quickly interpreted as a reference to how she’s been feeling over the past decade.
Well, with Spears’ recent victory and next week’s highly anticipated court hearing fast approaching, who knows what we’ll next hear from the singer as she continues to draw closer to freedom.
