'Framing Britney Spears': How People Are Reacting

"processing what happened to her with adult eyes is almost overwhelming. jesus."

britney spears
(Image credit: James Devaney)
Jenny Hollander
By
published
in News

She's been an icon, a punchline, and everything in between. But in The New York Times' documentary, "Framing Britney Spears," currently airing on FX and on Hulu, Britney is presented as a victim—of the people she trusted, particularly men; of the press that never left her alone to heal; of the forces that catapulted her to superstardom and then mocked her misery. By Sunday, less than 48 hours after the documentary dropped, "WE ARE SORRY BRITNEY" was trending on Twitter, and the film was sparking a robust dialogue about how she had been failed.

The film delves into the ups and downs of Britney's life, from her days as America's sweetheart to her present-day conservatorship that allows her limited control over her own life. It casts a harsh light on Justin Timberlake, who forced her to play the villain in the narrative of their breakup, and the media, who pushed her to her limits and then mocked her when she cracked. And it takes a hard look at the obsession around Britney—"We never knew her," says MTV VJ Dave Holmes—and the #FreeBritney movement that has dominated coverage of the star over the past year.

How Other Celebrities Are Reacting

People Are Furious at Justin Timberlake...

...And the Other Men Who Failed Her

...And the Press Who Hounded Her

Does Joe Biden Have a Plan for This?

Some Final Thoughts

Jenny Hollander
Jenny Hollander
Digital Director

Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013, and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. Working closely with Marie Claire's exceptional editorial, audience, commercial, and e-commerce teams, Jenny oversees the brand's digital arm, with an emphasis on driving readership. When she isn't editing or knee-deep in Google Analytics, you can find Jenny writing about television, celebrities, her lifelong hate of umbrellas, or (most likely) her dog, Captain. In her spare time, she also writes fiction: her first novel, the thriller EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, was published with Minotaur Books (UK) and Little, Brown (US) in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia, which she was diagnosed with when she was nine. She is currently working on her second novel.

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