Britney Spears and I
That seems like an absurd title on the face of it. But I was contemplating this. I feel its important to humanize Britney in the face of all those trying to dehumanize her, to make her into a crotch, a slut, a whore, their image of the fallen woman to whom they can do anything with impunity. Empathy is a human quality and those who do not display it are not human, or at least severely flawed humans – sociopaths – that is to say, people who exhibit the following traits: Egocentricity; Callousness; Impulsivity; Conscience defect; Exaggerated sexuality; Excessive boasting; Risk taking; Inability to resist temptation; Antagonistic, deprecating attitude toward the opposite sex; Lack of interest in bonding with a mate. Yes, I am not just suggesting, but outright stating that men who objectify women – ALL men who objectify women – are sociopaths. (While the website linked suggests that only 3% of the male population are sociopaths, this is because women, in the psychological profession as elsewhere, are still not considered human beings and therefore hurting women exclusively is often not perceived as a sign of sociopathy.) And yes, that means you, if you’ve come here to look for pictures to assist you in your continued objectification of Britney Spears. You are a sociopath.
Anyway – Britney and I. I am not a fan of her music (nor of most popular music.) I am fairly picky in my musical tastes. Nor am I famous, rich, thin, or blonde. But these are really surface issues.
Like Britney, I became a mother at age 23, and like Britney, I had a son. Like Britney, I am a vocalist (although not of her caliber) whose first public performance was at a very young age in a Christmas pageant. And like Britney, I became a single mom when I was 25. We are both white American women, and in fact are both from Louisiana. We both took gymnastics and dance classes as children. While I can’t find anything about it, I would be terribly surprised if Britney, having come from rural Louisiana, was not raised in some form of conservative Southern Christianity, as I was. Like Britney, albeit at a smaller scale, I have been publicly vilified and my abilility as a mother questioned whenever I dared show a sign of human flaws instead of remaining on the impossibly high and narrow pedestal mothers are supposed to remain on. (And come on, what is this tripe, she went out a for a few nights with the girls after a bad breakup and they are acting like she’s abandoned her kids? Haven’t these people ever heard of babysitters? Not that they care about her children’s welfare in the slightest – they only use her kids as a tool to tear her down.) And oh, of course – I don’t wear underwear either (although no one will be rushing to try to sneak a picture of my crotch as I do not look like a patriarchally approved Barbie Doll). Ha ha.
Now, I am almost a full decade older than Britney and have had some different life experiences and a different family. But we do actually have a lot in common.
Hey, maybe if people keep after her for stupid shit the way they are right now, she might become a radical feminist, just like I did, by the time she’s in her thirties! Wouldn’t that be something?
