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Britney Spears grew up in the public eye with everyone watching her every move or slipup. She was often the subject of intense scrutiny and suffocating double standards. At one point, Spears’ mental health suffered as she caved in due to the pressures put on her by society. Over time, the public turned on the young star making her the butt of all jokes. 

Over the years, Spears’ influence on pop culture has significantly reduced. Although this is what Spears had wanted, a recent documentary has brought to light disturbing details about her conservatorship. After details about her mental breakdown came to light, fans began questioning Spears’ actions back in the early 2000s, including one tweet made in 2008.

Britney Spears smiling in front of a blue and white background
Britney Spears | Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Spears was already famous by the time she turned 17

Spears was born to Jamie and Lynne Spears in December 1981. At a young age, the star had already shown a natural pull towards performing. She was always taking part in dancing competitions and talent shows. As she grew up, her talents became increasingly obvious, and her parents ended up getting her a New York agent. Spears started booking gigs in plays and was even cast as part of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Christina Aguilera and ex Justin Timberlake. When the Disney show got canceled, Spears’ career took a hit, but the star was determined to make it in the entertainment industry.

Two years after the show got canceled, Spears released her first single called ‘…Baby One More Time’. By the end of 1999, the single had sold 10 million copies. From then, the rising star had already stamped her name in showbiz. She started appearing in various shows, including being a television competition judge on X-Factor, made a Superbowl appearance, guest-starred on the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother and went through a very public romance.

Spears ended up in a conservatorship after going through a public mental breakdown

Spears was at her peak in her career in the late 2000s and had her public life put under the microscope. The tabloids were always on Spears’ case, and every wrong move warranted public backlash, including having her own ex supposedly write a song about her. In 2007, fans of the Princess of Pop and the whole world watched in dismay as the star publicly shaved her head in front of cameras. The public watched Spears transform from pop royalty to a vulnerable and broken individual who desperately needed help.

Spears had stints in rehab and seemed to be going through a tough time. In 2008, the court found the ‘Toxic’ singer unable to take care of herself and was therefore placed under a conservatorship. Spears’ father Jamie was given full control over her estate, business affairs, and assets in the conservatorship. Conservatorship is essentially meant to prevent wealthy individuals suffering from poor health from being taken advantage of. Spears’ conservatorship has been going on since then and her father still insists that Spears isn’t in the right mental state yet to manage her own estate. However, fans are now calling for the courts to stop the conservatorship as they fear Spears’ father might be taking advantage of her vulnerability.

Spears might not have sent her first tweet

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In 2008 and 2009, celebrities began joining Twitter. Many of these celebrities offered their fans some humor for their late arrival. Spears tweeted, “Welcome to Britney Spears’ Twitter! Follow the latest in Britney news and get updates straight from Britney and her entourage,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

The tweet was sent from the account on October 10, 2008. It should be noted that it was around this time that Britney’s conservatorship began, which makes the tweet’s authenticity that much more questionable. Judging by the events happening around that time, chances are that Spears didn’t necessarily write the tweet herself.