I’ll never forget the first time I saw the music video for “Baby One More Time.” I was an instant Britney fan; I remember running upstairs and asking Daddy to get me her CD – and ASAP. I had it within the week and played it nonstop; my favorite song being “Soda Pop.” Britney Spears was immediately my favorite singer, hands down. I thought she was gorgeous, and she seemed to have good morals. In those days, Britney was a good role model for preteens all over America.
I don’t know exactly when or why it happened, but at some point in my freshman year of high school, I had it in for Britney. I despised her. Maybe it was because I couldn’t take the trendiness of the Pop Star Era anymore, but regardless of the reason, my Britney CDs landed in the back of my closet. They remained untouched for years. I went through phases of Christina (ooo “Dirrty” was my favorite song for a long time) and Shakira (her dance moves were flawless) but I steered clear of the Britney Bandwagon. And soon, Britney faded away and was off the maps while her rivals Xtina, Mandy, Jessica and Shakira continued to thrive in the music industry.
In light of the success of “Newlyweds,” Britney came out with her own raunchier version of the show, depicting her sexual relationship with her new husband K-Fed. She should have learned from Jessica and Nick; reality show love never lasts. It loses touch with reality along the line. But Britney did not care; she just wanted to boast about her stellar sex life and tell the world that she was not a little girl anymore. Of course, this was the beginning of Britney’s downfall.
Two years ago, I started buying into the whole Britney Madness again. Curiosity led me to buy her new perfume, “Curious,” and I found my old CDs in the back of my closet. They may have been covered in dust, but they still worked like a charm. I think I almost knew that Britney was in trouble, and I wanted to support her by remembering what drew me to her in the first place.
Fastforward to 2007 and 2008. Britney is everywhere. I can’t go to my favorite celeb gossip blog, PerezHilton.com without seeing new posts about all of the drama surrounding Britney. And it keeps getting worse. I don’t know what caused Britney to tic – the failed marriage, the custody battle or her personal familial issues involving her horrible mother – but something happened to her to cause the craziness. Some say that this is just another publicity stunt – the whole thing from shaving her head to failed stints at rehab to frolicking on the beach wearing no more than her skivvies, but I think there are some real psychological issues at hand. Every day, Britney has a new accent. She has tested an English, Australian and Asian accent, perhaps in search of her true identity.
I miss Britney’s innocence. I miss her, “not a girl, not yet a woman” phase. I miss the sweet Britney that you saw in the movie “Crossroads” and the one that vowed to be pure until marriage (but many people go back on that promise these days). Judging by the road Britney’s headed right now, five years from now I might be saying that I flat out miss good ole Southern belle Britney herself. The girl needs some serious rehab and some serious counseling before she’s finally America’s Britney again.
That being said, I totally love her new hit, “Piece of Me.” It’s hot, catchy and danceable.
S.
