Oh Britney…

Bad Ideas, The Focus – September 12th, 2007 by Sarah

I think the title perhaps says it all. Poor Britney. Going by her recent performance of her new single, which she just managed to drunkenly stumble her way through, she’s got some issues. Why are we so judgemental of a single mum trying to navigate through life all on her own? Sure, she’s got more cash than most of us will ever see, and to be realistic, ‘on her own’ actually means ‘with an entourage of fifty thousand’, but really, she’s the same as you and I, doing her best to make it in this cruel, cruel world…

I know Britney Spears doesn’t immediately appear to be particularly relevant to issues of social justice. Or anything really, apart from providing column inches and tarty pics for the gossip rags. But you don’t have to dive too far below the surface to uncover some fairly worrisome and pertinent issues relating to the world of celebrity that trickle down into the world of you and I, and right now, Britney seems to epitomise them all.

Whether we like it or not, young people in particular idolise and look up to celebrities. Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and good old Britney are all part of a generation of celebs who are adored not simply due to their talent (I use the word ‘talent’ very loosely here), but because of their abilities to make a mess of their lives. Sad but true. Britney is now more famous for her marriage break-ups, handling her children irresponsibly and exposing her genitals while heavily intoxicated than for her music. Rather than leaving her already somewhat questionable reputation in tatters, Paris’ stint in gaol has given her more celeb cred than ever before.

It appears we have got the idea of a role model incredibly wrong in today’s society. Young people and children shouldn’t want to live like these women, they should be feeling sorry for them. The same can be said about sports people (oh how I love being critical of sports people). We shouldn’t be embracing and humouring people like Shane Warne (particularly Shane Warne) when they make a public fool of themselves, we should be making sure they realise how unacceptable it is that they abuse their positions of power. Which is exactly what these people who live their lives in the public eye have: power.

To me, it just seems that as a society, we are valuing the wrong things. We are just too obsessed with physical appearance and material success, what happened to seeing value in ambition, in intelligence? How is it right that the majority of people thrown at us by the media every day are always ridiculously beautiful and embroiled in scandal? This is not a coincidence, this is what we have come to want. And that is just terrible.

So Britney, I think any hopes I had that you would return to your former musical glory have well and truly disappeared. However, I am so conditioned by society that I will probably continue to find immense joy in watching your drunken stumblings and intriguing outfit choices, and from time to time wish my life was as glamourous as yours.

Sarah

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One response to “Oh Britney…”

1. Kath (aka MillyMoo)

   September 14th, 2007 at 12:54 am

   Agree with you Sarah. I think what’s even sadder about this situation is not that it appears that we ‘value’ such ‘celebrities’ but that NONE of them are orphans.

   They all have entourages who must actively encourage the partying, drunkenness, no knickers, drug-taking, paparazzi-alerting, child-neglecting behaviour. Why don’t their parents step in and help? The more serious issue is that the entourages - and parents - are profiting from their employers/child’s bad behaviour - after all, who is paying Dina Lohan’s rent?

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