Yahoo Finance Britney Spears says family hurt her 'deeper than you'll ever know': 'I still want justice'
Since February's "Framing Britney Spears" documentary, all eyes have been on the pop singer with interest in – and speculation about – her well-being and the 13-year conservatorship that controls her finances and important life decisions.
In June, Spears broke her silence on the case while appearing in Los Angeles court remotely via telephone.
"I’m not here to be anyone’s slave," Spears said, calling the conservatorship "abusive" and asking the court to end it. "I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I'm happy. It's a lie."
A lot has happened since that bombshell hearing. In July, Spears won the right to choose her own attorney, Mathew Rosengart, who swiftly worked to remove her father Jamie Spears as her conservator. Spears' assets, estimated at about $60 million, have since been ordered to move to a temporary conservator.
Prior to the June hearing, Spears rarely spoke out about her career and personal life, but she has since become more vocal on social media. Here's a look at her most poignant remarks since the renewed interest in her life and legal situation.
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Oct. 25: Spears wants 'justice' after conservatorship ends
Spears took to Instagram on Oct. 25 to share that even though her conservatorship appears to be coming to an end, she still wants justice for alleged abuse she suffered under it. Her attorney said during the Sept. 29 hearing that he hopes the next hearing in the case, scheduled for Nov. 12, will see the conservatorship come to an end.
After describing the "humiliating" feeling of making time for people who are only available "when it's convenient for them," the pop star directly addressed her relatives.
"This message is to my family ... for hurting me deeper than you'll ever know !!!," she wrote. "I know the conservatorship is about to be over but I still want justice !!! I'm only 5'4" and I've played the bigger person my entire life ... do you know how hard that is ???"
Oct. 15: Spears says she's 'scared to do anything' once free
On Oct. 15, Spears offered fans a window into her feelings now that the end of her conservatorship appears imminent.
"I'll just be honest and say I've waited so long to be free from the situation I’m in … and now that it's here I'm scared to do anything because I'm afraid I'll make a mistake !!!" she wrote on Instagram, captioning a photo of a large Christmas tree. "I worked so hard but now that it's here and getting closer and closer to ending I'm very happy but there's a lot of things that scare me !!!"
Spears continued that she's anxious to drive while being hounded by the paparazzi and that she's "fearful of doing something wrong."
"I haven't done anything to be treated the way I have," she wrote. "I'm disgusted with the system and wish I lived in another country !!!"
Spears capped off her post saying she's celebrating Christmas early this year because "any reason to find more joy in life is a good idea."
"Lord have mercy on my family’s souls if I ever do an interview !!!" she added. "In the meantime … I’m staying clear of the business which is all I’ve ever known my whole life … which is why this is so very confusing for me !!! Anyway … God bless you all !!!"
Oct. 5: Spears says her attorney changed her life
A week after Judge Brenda Penny ruled to remove Jamie as his daughter's conservator, Spears thanked Rosengart for helping "change my life" in an Oct. 5 post that slammed her family for acting complicit in her legal battle. She claimed they said "things like 'sorry, you’re in a conservatorship' … probably thinking you’re different so they can (expletive) with you."
She added: "I suggest if you have a friend that’s been in a house that feels really small for four months … no car … no phone … no door for privacy and they have to work around 10 hours a day 7 days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off … I strongly suggest you go pick up your friend and get them the hell outta there !!!!!"
Oct. 4: Spears thanks #FreeBritney supporters
Spears took to Instagram the day prior to thank supporters of #FreeBritney, a fan-led movement that seeks to liberate the pop star from her conservatorship.
"#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!!" Spears wrote in an Instagram post Oct. 4. "I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it … I feel your hearts and you feel mine … that much I know is true"
Along with the caption, Spears shared a video of herself looking into the camera while wearing a white top and shorts. In a separate Instagram post on Sept. 27, Spears wore a similar white outfit and wrote that she was "wearing WHITE for NEW BEGINNINGS."
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Aug. 17: Spears explains meaning behind topless pics
While Spears' Instagram is more often videos of herself dancing, there has also been an uptick in selfies of the star partially nude, covering her breasts with her hands.
On Aug. 17, she shared more of such photos, but instead of commenting with some emojis, this time she explained the reasoning behind the intimate shots.
"I bet you’re wondering why I’d expose my body NOW," Spears wrote. "Well it’s because I was born into this world naked and I honestly feel like the weight of the world has been on my shoulders and it’s made me view myself that way !!!! I wanted to see myself in a lighter way … naked … like the way I was born."
She added that looking back at the pictures and seeing herself exposed "gives evidence that pain … hurt … tears … and heavy burdens aren’t who I am."
"I am a woman …. a beautiful … sensitive woman who needs to look at myself in my purest form !!!"
'Victory for Britney':Pop star's father agrees to step down from her conservatorship
July 14: Spears officially endorses #FreeBritney
Spears took to her Instagram July 14 hours after a judge ruled she's allowed to hire her own lawyer in her ongoing conservatorship case.
"Coming along, folks ... coming along," she wrote, captioning videos of herself performing cartwheels and horseback riding on Instagram. "New with real representation today ... I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!!"
Spears also thanked her "awesome fans" for their support and shared the tag many of them have used as a rallying cry in their movement to end her conservatorship: "#FreeBritney"
Spears' boyfriend Sam Asghari also used the hashtag. "Internet is about to explode," he wrote in the comments, "#freebritney"
May 3: Spears calls documentaries 'hypocritical'
Spears sounded off against the "many documentaries about me this year with other people's takes on my life" in an Instagram post on May .
"what can I say … I’m deeply flattered !!!!" she said, captioning a video of herself dancing. "These documentaries are so hypocritical … they criticize the media and then do the same thing"
Though Spears said she's had "waaaayyyy more amazing times" in her life, she added that "the world is more interested in the negative."
"Why highlight the most negative and traumatizing times in my life from forever ago ????" she asked, noting that her sights are set on the future. The pop star said she has plans to travel this summer, visit different dance studios and install a miniature koi pond in her backyard.
Spears also addressed speculation that her Instagram is run by someone other than her. In a Page Six article published March 31, Billy Brasfield, whom the outlet identifies as Spears' former makeup artist, claimed that he had recent text exchanges with the pop star and that “the content (of her posts) is her, but … the words are NOT how she feels.” According to BBC, the "The Battle for Britney" documentary includes an interview with Brasfield.
But Spears says Brasfield's claims aren't true.
"PSSSS I don’t actually talk to Billy B AT ALL so I’m honestly very confused," she wrote. "This is my Instagram !!!!"
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March 30: Spears was 'embarrassed' by 'Framing Britney' narrative
Nearly two months after the release of "Framing Britney," Spears acknowledged it directly for the first time on March 30, revealing in a now-deleted Instagram post she "cried for two weeks" and still cries "sometimes" over the documentary.
"As the world keeps on turning and life goes on we still remain so fragile and sensitive as people !!! I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in," she wrote, adding that her "life has always been very speculated ... watched ... and judged really my whole life."
Spears said she's focused on "keep(ing) my own joy... love... and happiness," especially through dance: "It takes a lot of strength to TRUST the universe with your real vulnerability cause I've always been so judged... insulted... and embarrassed by the media... and I still am till this day."
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March 9: Spears calls for kindness and 'deep healing'
Reflecting on a year of "craziness" due to the novel coronavirus, Spears called for others to use self-care tactics, such as meditation, prayer and "any kind of hobby that brings joy" in a March 1 Instagram post. She promised to "devote myself to lots of tea and healing."
She added: "I’m working on allowing myself to not be so strong all the time and to know it’s ok to cry !!!! I pray for deep healing this year for all of us and I hope we can all inspire each other !!!! Again … BE KIND - PASS IT ON AMERICA"
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Feb. 9: Spears says she's focused on being 'a normal person' in wake of documentary
Following the documentary's release, Spears said on Twitter and Instagram Feb. 9 that she's focused on being "a normal person."
"I’ll always love being on stage," Spears captioned a throwback video of herself performing "Toxic" three years prior. "But I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person… I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life!"
Spears advised her fans to take what they see with a grain of salt, reminding her devoted followers that "each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories.
"We all have so many different bright beautiful lives," she wrote. "Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person's life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens!"
Contributing: Erin Jensen, Maria Puente, Charles Trepany
More: 'Framing Britney' exposes a problem bigger than Britney
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Britney Spears' speaks out on Instagram: 'I still want justice'
