Britney Spears Remembers "How Scared" She Was During Her Snake-Clad VMAs Performance in 2001

Even if you didn't watch Britney Spears' iconic 2001 VMAs performance at the time, you've almost certainly seen the photos.

Performing "I'm a Slave 4 U," the superstar rocked a green bra top and blue booty shorts with a train, everything dripping in sparkly gems and sequins. But the most memorable part of the outfit by a mile was a living, breathing accessory: a massive yellow and white python, which was wrapped around Spears' shoulders.

While this is my personal worst nightmare, Spears is a much braver person than I am, and has just called it one of her "favorite performances" ever, though she still admitted she was (rightly!) terrified.

The singer shared a clip of the performance on Instagram, captioning it, "One of my favorite performances was with an albino python … I still remember how scared I felt when I was handed this snake and took the stage !!!"

The star also took the opportunity to promote her upcoming memoir, writing, "I talked more about this performance and other favorites in my book #TheWomanInMe … I can’t wait for you to read it on October 24th @gallerybooks @simonschusteruk"

Spears' memoir will be out before we know it, and I have no doubt it will instantly fly off the shelves, because there's so much we want to hear from her own perspective about the star's life in and out of the spotlight.

Addressing the forthcoming book back in July, Spears said, "I worked my ass off for this book. I had a lot of therapy to get this book done, so you guys better like it. And if you don’t like it, that’s fine, too." Challenge accepted.