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Britney’s Problems
You’re not used of me to write about ‘celebrities’, mostly because I don’t care about it too much, but Britney Spears has caught my attention nonetheless. First she shaved her hair off and now, De Volkskrant reports, that she has checked into a rehab center.
Britney Spears has entered a rehabilitation center, her spokesman said on Tuesday, capping a long weekend in which the pop star made international news by shaving her head at a Los Angeles hair salon.
“Britney Spears has voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed rehab facility today,” Spears’ publicist Larry Rudolph said in a written statement. “We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those (privacy concerns) of her family and friends at this time.”
Rudolph did not say what Spears, 25, would be treated for or where the rehabilitation facility was located. Celebrity Web site TMZ.com reported the center was in the Los Angeles area and that she entered it at the urging of family members.
My good friend Mick LaSalle wrote three days ago (about Britney suddenly being bald):
Many years ago, Ringo Starr shaved his head, and Creme Magazine asked him why. He said something like this — I don’t have the quote in front of me — “Sometimes it’s a choice between shaving your head and killing yourself, and so I decided to shave my head.”
Like a lot of Ringo pronouncements, this had a quality of unexpected homespun truth about it. Which leads us to Britney. She has become a national joke, a borderline national disgrace, and a ready-made punchline. But is it possible that this girl is actually in trouble? Like so much in trouble that it’s not funny?
When a woman whose entire career is based on her appearance — ever hear her sing? — goes out and spontaneously disfigures herself — that’s a cry for help, folks. Her family should get the nets ready, and I don’t mean the Internets. If anybody actually cares about this girl, as a human being, as an actual living, breathing person, it’s time to do something. It was time to do something yesterday.
In the comment section, certain people attacked Mick for drawing conclusions. An example:
to shave one’s head is to disfigure oneself? hello? did i just read that? brittany spears has just disfigured herself??? gosh, i guess i have a lot of disfigured friends. and i’ve seen lots of disfigured people on tv. and there’s disfigured people in my neightborhood. my god, we are a nation full of disfigured people!! and how DARE these people take their own hair! in fact, when you think of it, it’s not their hair, it’s OUR HAIR! we are the ones who are forced to see their gastly bald heads! oh the horror! we must outlaw shavers and sissors! we must prevent people from disfiguring themselves. oh, lord help me, i feel a shave coming on.
(seemingly this person does not know how to write Spears’s first name correctly and seemingly the commenter also has some trouble using capitals but okay)
Another one:
Spears shaved off her hair? Big deal.
No. Let me change that: Big f***ing deal.
What does it mean? I think the answer to that question would be this question:
For who?
Her only problem would be that the lack of hair draws attention to the fact that she’s not pretty.
She can’t pull it off like Annie Lennox, Sinead O’Connor…and most black women I’ve ever seen with very very short hair (like me, for instance) to completely shaved heads.
Disfigured????
Dude, she cut off her hair.
Not her nose. Not her ear. Not a lip.
She didn’t gouge out an eye or split her tongue.
She cut off her hair. It grows back. (Ask any woman who shaves her…whatever.)
And if anyone thinks that someone’s about to end up dead like Anna Nicole Smith just because they cut their hair off???
I think the worst thing Spears did was pick lips to have tattooed on her wrists.
I wish she’d gotten a Mohawk, had it dyed hot pink or blue-black, and had full on photo-realistic tatts of her 2 kids on each arm?
Or maybe had them do a big old full back tatt of Anna Nicole Smith.
Although I don’t care much about Britney’s music, I do care about people… I shared Mick’s worries and decided to wait and see what would happen.
Now, a few days later, there can be no doubt about it anymore: Mick was right. Britney’s family should – obviously – be very, very worried. She became famous, incredibly famous when she was still very young. Believe it or not, fame changes people. It’s not easy to be famous, especially not in America (where celebrities are considered to be some kind of gods) and especially not when one is young.
She needs help, she needs the support of people who are honest, she needs God and… hopefully for her, she’ll pull through it.
31 Responses to “Britney’s Problems”
It is indicative of the sickness of our society that we have such a prurient interest in the Britney’s, Anna Nicoles and Paris Hiltons of this world. It is way out of proportion to any achievement these celebrities have accomplished. Its disgusting that rather than pay attention to the very real problems our country is facing, we get glued to the set, like a nation of peeping toms, while these overly pampered figures self-destruct. Their self-destruction is inevitable, because in the first place they are probably not the most stable individuals, and in the second they obviously cannot withstand all of the media attention without a significant breakdown.
I think the prurient interest stems from the fact that most of us know that we’ll never have fame and fortune and the hedonistic enjoyment that comes with that, so we get satisfaction out of watching a celebrity self destruct because we then feel that fame and fortune aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be anyway. Dennis Miller did a bit about this recently- something to the effect that we all make these boring, responsible choices in our lives every day and we like to occasionally tune in to a celebrity meltdown to reaffirm that we’re doing the right thing.
That said though, I agree with you, MvdG about the need for compassion. Especially with such a young person- you can say that the person himself/herself bears responsibility for their life choices, but with people who’ve gotten into show business during childhood or adolescence, the parents really do bear the majority of the responsibility.
It shows nothing of the sort kritter . Rather it shows the propensity many people have of weighing in on a subject without knowing the particulars.
The ex-husband of Spears had threatened to have the court drug test her by taking a hair sample. Hair samples happen to show a detailed history of drug use. She responded by
having her hair cut and going back int a rehabilitation facility. Her actions were quite pragmatic under the circumstances.
MichaelF: care to provide a link and… isn’t a very small hair suffice?
MichaelF,
That is an interesting angle and I admit I didn’t know that this may have been her motive for the shearing. But I don’t see how that changes the overall story very much: still evidence of a self-destructive lifestyle that often accompanies our celebrity culture, and a young woman who appears to have gotten in over her head. It’s certainly understandable that a mother would go to great lengths to keep her kids but sad that her addictions may have reached a point where this kind of step would be necessary.
[...] Michael van der Galien wrote about Britney this morning at TMV: She became famous, incredibly famous when she was still very young. Believe it or not, fame changes people. It’s not easy to be famous, especially not in America (when celebrities are considered to be some kind of gods) and especially not when one is young. [...]
Alas, since my pop culture interest morphed and I began frequenting Hollywood/celebrity gossip pages after mostly quitting politics in boredom and disgust at the GOP maroons in the last election, I know far too much about this busines.
MichaelF, this wasn’t a pragmatic move. She was whacked out at the time, and semi-coherent at the time (even for her). Federline (her ex) has turned down a multi-million dollar/no custody settlement proposal. By every account I have read, her behaviour has added zeros to this settlement. She didn’t have her hair cut…the stylist refused, and she did it herself. Then left masses of the hair, which is currently up for auction for a half-million (if she was concerned about the drug test, she wouldn’t have left all that hair at the salon).
Look, Paris Hilton’s nickname for Britney Spears is “The Animal”. By this she meant that Spears does not think, she does whatever she wants purely on appetite and instinct. Spears is a teenager, with the mind of a spoiled child. She wanted to party like Hilton and La Lohan (her “vagina slips” were her way of joining that “club”).
While Kritter has a point, that this is a pointless distraction from real issues, I would add that there has always been a celebrity culture. One of my interests is turn of the century Edwardian culture, and one can see in the “Professional Beauties” of that era — women whose images were widely reproduced on cigarette cases, calendars etc. (yes, clothed), famous just for being famous — the fact that today’s culture is nothing new, simply an expansion of what has long existed.
One can look at Spears and celebrity culture within two templates:
(1) Human sympathy: For Spears…well, honestly, I don’t care! CNN online has a story about the wave of killings of homeless people in suburban wildings. Some of these people, who have struggled for years, to have their lives brutally snuffed out, truly deserve our sympathy.
(2) Semoitically: I have written about her and her career as a cultural signifier. However, she doesn’t signify much. Paris Hilton signifies much more.
The only celebrity I have met personally at that level – Princess Diana – is off the charts as a signifier. And truly a more decent human being.
I think the movie “The Queen” is a particularly fine excellent example of one person (Queen Elizabeth) trying to figure out how to navigate within the enhanced celebrity culture of our times.
BTW: MVG, “The Queen” would be an excellent subject for a review here at TMV given its view of Blair, Diana and our popular culture hysterias.
Maybe I do come off as lacking compassion, but I really am much more concerned about the innocent lives these pop idols wreck, than what they inflict on themselves. What is to become of Britney and K-fed’s two young children, whom they seem to have concieved with as little thought or concern as they have for the rest of their wasted lives? They are the real victims, as is Anna Nicole’s 5-month old daughter, and now deceased son, and they are the ones we should concern ourselves with.
Kim,
I agree with you about the kids and the lives wrecked, but like all other human tragedies these things are cyclical. It’s hard to have compassion for the child molestor until you realize that he was the victim of molestation as a child; hard to have sympathy for a pathetic wasted celebrity until you realize that he/she gravitated to that lifestyle because it is glorified in our culture (just as we worry about how they might be influencing our own kids to want that kind of lifestyle). You and I are the kind of parents who will probably be able to influence our kids away from those lousy choices, but not every kid had that kind of stability in their life. That doesn’t justify that these people do leave a trainwreck behind, but I think there’s still room for some sympathy.
I guess you have more capacity for it than I, CS. I think we have to hold adults responsible for their choices. Cultural norms that heap attention on girls like Britney, Anna Nicole and Paris Hilton, make parenting all that much harder for many decent, hard-working people.Maybe I would have more sympathy for these cases if our society did not worship celebrity for its own sake.
For the first time in her adult life, the carpets match the drapes
CS: Why should we have compassion for Spears? We only know of her because of our cultural machine.
There are countless more worthy objects of our sympathy and compassion. Millions, in fact…who are nameless and faceless…and go ignored because of the nature of the machine.
The workings of the machine are interesting, but how many of its creations are decent human beings who have any interest in anyone other than themselves?
In some ways, Kim, I guess I feel that these extreme cases are actually helpful to parents like ourselves because they serve as negative reinforcement to our kids. It’s not hard to hold up today’s Britney as an example of what not to be, while it would be harder to explain to our teenaged girls why they shouldn’t aspire to be the Britney of a few years ago.
Marlowe,
I guess I just don’t think of compassion as a scarce commodity that has to be rationed. People like Spears are the product of their environment: what you call the machine, as well as the direct environment of her family which failed to counter the influence of the machine. So by having some compassion for her I find that I’m able to direct the anger or the responsibility toward society and toward families, which is where the remedies can be found to prevent many more Spears’s.
I can find some sympathy for her. She’s a 25 year old whose spent her entire adult life in a surreal bubble of fame. She also has more money than God and is drop dead gorgeous. Nothing about her behaviour seems that out of the ordinary to me, its just she’s got cameras recording it the whole time. It would drive me crazy.
Thinks about it, she went and shaved her head and the country thinks she’s gone nuts. I personally think everyeone should shave their heads at least once, its alot of fun. But somehow everyone’s talking about how she needs an intervention, her life if falling apart, whatever. I’d be telling the whole world to fuck off at this point and let me do what I want.
CS said: “I guess I just don’t think of compassion as a scarce commodity that has to be rationed.”
I suppose we disagree there. I think a focus on BS means less focus somewhere else. I would be sympathetic, if she displayed any signs of selflessness. But there is not one I am aware of.
Sam, I would disagree as well about the effect of the “surreal bubble of fame”.
Diana. Angelina Jolie. Audrey Hepburn…all were/are extremely famous, and yet worked/showed human sympathy for others, even though they had problems.
I remember in the early 80s the shock in the British media when Diana visited AIDs patients in hospital…and actually touched one (this was in the midst of the AIDS=GAYplague era).
Look at all the pictures of Jolie in the media, who goes NOWHERE without her kids. How many photos have there been of BS and her kids (where she isn’t exposing them to imminent death by almost dropping them headfirst on the pavement)?
CS…I understand your family/parent-perspective on BS. But I just feel there is only so much sympathy/money/time to go around. Maybe it is a question of economics?
Well thats great about Jolie and Hepburn and all and I think they grew into their fame pretty well, but remember, Spears is only 25 and she’s been the most famous girl in America since before she could vote. Thats a bit rattling during those years. And she may be a selfish bitch to the core for the rest of her days for all I know, but all I’m saying is she shaved her head and now she’s “Crazy”. Gimme a break.
Personally I think Spears is a trailer park girl who’d I’d likely never want to have dinner with. Its the reaction of the general public to her every move that I find interesting since it really is more telling about the state of our lives than hers.
Well, that’s just it, Marlowe: I don’t see how this is a question of economics. That some people grow up to be vacant shells of human flesh isn’t something we can throw money at. The only fix for it IMO is to put the attention on what societal and family factors lead to this.
By the way, I share your admiration for Diana and Audrey Hepburn, and to a slightly lesser extent Jolie. In the latter case, her travels seem a bit too much like photo ops to me but I won’t begrudge her some credit (and I’ll admit that she looks gorgeous in the photos!)
I do feel sorry for her, because as someone who suffered from my bi-polar condition and severe chemical dependencies until later in life, I can relate to what is happening to her. It is eerily familiar in a surprising number of ways, quite frankly (except I was neither rich nor famous). It mimics not only many of my traits, but of others I hung out with and that suffered from similar issues.
I am not saying she IS either bi-polar or chemically dependent, BUT, she certainly is acting like it.
I think one thing can be said without any chance of being wrong, and that is she is suffering from some form of mental instability right now, and needs help.
My son, who, in his job, has to worry about terrorism alerts, said:
“As long as the news is focused on Britney, I know the country is still okay.”
CS- I see what you mean about negative stereotypes- I have used those examples for my teenager, who has no desire to be like Britney. It would just be nice to see more attention given to more deserving individuals to use as positive role models, though. All in all, the popular culture is a negative influence.
One thing that bugs me about 24/7 coverage of Anna Nicole’s paternity hearings, is that stories that are more meaningful get totally wiped off of the media. Couldn’t one cable channel cover a different news item??
“I think one thing can be said without any chance of being wrong, and that is she is suffering from some form of mental instability right now, and needs help. ”
I think the only thing that can be said for sure is that she is a young woman going thru a custody battle and a 9 figure divorce with everyone in the nation watching every move and having an opinion.
“…with everyone in the nation watching every move…”
That, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the entire situation.
Domajot said: “My son, who, in his job, has to worry about terrorism alerts, said: “As long as the news is focused on Britney, I know the country is still okay.â€?”
Actually, this is something that bothers me. Remember the shark attack panic in the US media in the weeks before 9-11? We love our bread and circuses…
AustinRoth: Yes, I have seen that issue debated (whether BS has an illness). I suppose we can’t really know. She certainly does have addictions, though, and is out of anyone’s control…including herself.
BTW: “Oops she did it again” — Britney has just fled her second Rehab stay (I think she made the 8 hour mark this time, but don’t quote me). I expect she will be partying at Hyde or Area tonight.
No self-discipline or control. Pure Freudian Id.
“She needs help”
She’s a f***ing multimillionaire, she can pay for all the help she needs. That’s not the problem. What she really needs is to be left alone to have the chance to lead a ‘normal’ live again.
Marlowecan said:
February 21, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Marlowecan said:
Domajot said: “My son, who, in his job, has to worry about terrorism alerts, said: “As long as the news is focused on Britney, I know the country is still okay.��
Actually, this is something that bothers me. Remember the shark attack panic in the US media in the weeks before 9-11? We love our bread and circuses…
=========
It depends on how you read my son’s comment. I believe he was just glad that we were still at liberty to discuss the impact of celebrity on fragile personalities and on susceptible audiences.
It’s like being glad the sun rose in the morning one more time to find us still living and breathing.
Gray -
Where did I say a word about someone else providing her that help, except to insinuate that that help needs to be of a professional type?
And sorry, you are flat out wrong. While she doesn’t need the media following her, and I will grant that, the last thing she needs is to be left alone. She needs those who really care for her as a person, not a meal ticket, to help push her towards the help she does need.
Domajot said: “It’s like being glad the sun rose in the morning one more time to find us still living and breathing.”
Yes, that is another way of looking at this whole business…that we (as a society) have the luxury of even thinking about BS’s wackiness.
Michael van der Galien said:
February 21, 2007 at 6:58 am
MichaelF: care to provide a link and… isn’t a very small hair suffice?
A small amount will suffice for a shorter range of testing. But the length of hair actually shows a detailed history of months of drug use.
[edit] Hair drug screen
Hair follicle testing is quite accurate and can go back 6 months or longer, showing any controlled substances used in a sort of timeline. As hair grows out, any drugs used are encased in the hair shaft, so the longer the hair, the longer back in the individual’s drug history the lab can detect. Most legitimate testing facilities, however, only use hair within about 3-5 cm of the scalp, and discard the rest. This limits the detection history to about 90 days, depending upon the rate of growth of the individual’s hair. Some people attempt to circumvent this through shaving their heads. In the absence of the required amount of hair on the scalp, body hair can be used as an acceptable substitute. Additionally, for pre-employment hair testing, the inability to obtain a sample may be grounds for not hiring the individual.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_test
Marlowecan said:
February 21, 2007 at 8:03 am
MichaelF, this wasn’t a pragmatic move. She was whacked out at the time, and semi-coherent at the time (even for her). Federline (her ex) has turned down a multi-million dollar/no custody settlement proposal. By every account I have read, her behaviour has added zeros to this settlement. She didn’t have her hair cut…the stylist refused, and she did it herself. Then left masses of the hair, which is currently up for auction for a half-million (if she was concerned about the drug test, she wouldn’t have left all that hair at the salon
Yes, this was a pragmatic move on her part. You might argue that it was not well executed based on your points but that has nothing to do with why she did it. However, you would be wrong to suggest that hair samples obtained from the floor could be used against her in a court of law. The authenticity of the hair on Ebay is less than credible. Hence the reason there are strict rules regarding taking such samples.
In conclusion. she was determined to cut her hair off for exactly the reason I detailed. That doesn’t mean I don’t agree that Spears is having a meltdown. There are plenty of examples of irrational behavior on her part. The hair episode just isn’t one of them /
I agree 100%, AR. It reminds me of what someone once said about Marilyn Monroe: she was one of the most beautiful and popular women that ever lived, but on the night she died, she couldn’t find anyone who would pick up the phone and talk to her (my paraphrase, and I can’t recall who said it.) This is what happens when people are objectified for the pleasure of others. No doubt that they allow themselves to reach that state, but there are reasons that they do so.
I agree about the mental health issues as well, AR. I hope one day that society evolves to the point of understanding the need for preventative mental health care, rather than paying the human and financial costs of addictions.