Some Britney Spears’ fans are worried for the singer after recent posts she made on Instagram.
On her 43rd birthday Tuesday, the singer shared videos on the social media website in which she said she’s moved to Mexico and that she’s turning 5 years old and starting kindergarten. USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Spears for clarification.
These posts − as well others, like one last year in which she appeared to dance with knives − have sparked mixed reactions from Spears’ fans, including concern. Therapists say these reactions are normal and to be expected. After all, Spears is a beloved celebrity, and her fans care deeply about her wellbeing; however, her mental health has also long been a topic of deep, and oftentimes inappropriate, scrutiny and speculation.
Spears’ posts and fans’ reactions to them raise an important question: What is the right way to share concern about someone, especially someone you’ve never met? And how can Spears’ fans best support her?
“Because we are caring, empathic humans, we’re going to be concerned about someone − and that’s OK,” psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis says. “I think if it’s becoming too consuming, and it’s causing you to not be able to engage in regular daily life, then maybe it’s time to evaluate, talk to somebody.”
Holiday deals: Shop this season’s top products and sales curated by our editors.
‘People are really rooting for her’
One reason why fans feel particularly protective over Spears is because of the legal battle to free her from her conservatorship, which played out in headlines and inspired rallies and protests in her support. The pop star was placed under a conservatorship at the age of 26 in 2008 after suffering a public breakdown the year prior that played out before the paparazzi, who captured her erratic behavior.
Momentum to end Spears’ conservatorship picked up dramatically in February 2021, following the release of the New York Times’ documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” which put a spotlight on her conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement to end it. Public outcry against the conservatorship reached a fever pitch after Spears herself delivered an emotional testimony at a June court hearing, in which she called her conservatorship “abusive” and pleaded for it to end without undergoing another psychological evaluation.
‘I’m gonna cry the rest of the day:’Britney Spears freed from conservatorship after 13 years
All this, Sarkis says, has led people to feel particularly invested in Spears’ wellbeing − and it’s why she believes most of the concern around her is well-intentioned.
“People are really rooting for her to do well, because we want people to do well overall,” Sarkis says. “We want them to triumph, and we want them to live to their potential.”
Spears’ conservatorship battle has also made her more than just a pop star in people’s eyes. To many, she also stands for resilience, autonomy and finding your voice after getting silenced.
“She represents on a global scale what can happen when people with mental health issues are stigmatized or marginalized or are dismissed,” Sarkis says. “She kind of speaks for those that have been in situations like a conservatorship or where they felt like their voice was suppressed.”
Britney Spears reactions and what they say about us
Sarkis says it’s normal for people to feel concern for someone who’s expressing bizarre behavior. That concern is often heightened when the person is famous.
“When you are observing someone from a distance in that type of scenario, people can feel helpless, like they want to be able to help, but they don’t know how,” she says.
It’s important to remember though that, oftentimes, our feelings about a celebrity say more about us than they do about the famous person. For many, Spears’ posts may strike a chord because they reminds them of instances in their lives when they struggled with their mental health or dealt with a close family member or friend in a similar situation.
We’re talking about Amanda Bynes again.Have we finally learned what not to say?
If your feelings of helplessness or worry over a celebrity start to take a significant toll, it’s a good opportunity for introspection.
“It’s a really good opportunity to look at the self and look at, ‘What have I been through that I connect or identify with this?’ ” Sarkis says. “Something as simple as, you feel like you aren’t fitting in, that you feel like society isn’t accepting of you.”
It’s not just Spears’ supporters who could benefit from that kind of reflection. The trolls and keyboard warriors should take a good, hard look in the mirror, too, says relationship therapist Philip Lewis.
Chappell Roan is getting backlash.It shows how little we know about mental health.
“I would say the same thing to them,” Lewis says. “What is it that’s happening for you that brings you to react in this way, and is there some way that you can be more compassionate and more empathetic?”
Because mental health remains such a sensitive subject − and also because you really can’t make assumptions about what anyone else is going through − it’s important that, if you do express concern about someone, you focus your comments more on your own experience rather than theirs.
“What I would suggest to people when they’re seeing something like this happen is to talk about yourself, talk about your feelings, your response to what’s going on and happening,” Lewis says. “That’s what really needs to be heard.”
Contributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY
link