"I Was Controlled": Britney Spears Posts On Instagram That She Has Waited 13 Years For Freedom

Pop icon Britney Spears expressed how her conservatorship has affected her in a new social media post this week.

The 39-year-old “Overprotected” singer took to Instagram on Monday to screenshot a portion of an article called "Infusing Education with Heart." The article encourages teaching children to stay connected to the inherent wisdom with which they are born.

“I had to repost this so you can see the whole article !!!!!” Spears wrote. “Growing up in a world where basically almost everything I did was controlled by someone else ... I hope this message gets to people who have been confused or manipulated by a system !!!!”

Spears reassured her fans that they are “not alone” and that they are “not crazy !!!!”

“People need to hear this before it’s TOO LATE !!!!,” she wrote. “I’ve waited 13 years and counting for my freedom !!!!! Again ... team #FreeBritney you guys f---ing kick ass !!!!! Love you so much and God bless!!!!”

The post clearly alludes to the conservatorship under which Spears has lived for the past 13 years. In June, she publicly broke her silence about the restrictive life she has been leading as a result of the legal arrangement. She claimed had been held in a psychiatric hold and forced to perform against her will, alleged that she was ordered to take lithium, and was told she cannot get her IUD removed. Since that hearing, the pressure for the conservatorship to end began to mount — both on social media and in the courtroom. 

After Spears was permitted in July to finally hire her own attorney, her new legal representative quickly filed for her father, Jamie Spears, to be removed from the conservatorship; he had controlled most of the conservatorship but stepped down as his daughter's conservator of person in 2019. For the past two years, he has controlled just her finances. Jamie Spears filed a petition to terminate the arrangement earlier this month. In doing so, he cited his daughter’s recent pleas to be released from the legal arrangement. 

Britney’ Spears' attorney, Mathew Rosengart, called the move “vindication for Ms. Spears” but he has also suggested that the filing could also be a path for her dad to avoid potential legal issues. 

"It appears that Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath,” his statement read, adding that he and his client will be exploring “all options.”

Spears has previously accused her dad of conservatorship abuse.

Since Spears' hearing in June, she has become noticeably more candid about her life; previously, she avoided discussing her private life and her conservatorship. For the past two years, she has reassured her concerned fans that she is fine, despite the increasing worry from the #FreeBritney moment. While the movement began in 2009, it really picked up speed in 2019 when her tone on Instagram seemingly changed, Vanity Fair reported that year. The perceived tonal shift led some of her fans to believe that handlers had taken control of her social media.

Later, many of those fans believed that Spears was trying to express that she wanted to be let out of her conservatorship through coded language on her Instagram, US Magazine reported this year. Spears apologized earlier this year for lying to her fans and for pretending everything was okay.

Now, it’s clear she is fighting for the freedom to be herself and to have her own life. Britney's Sunday announcement that she is engaged to her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, appears to be part of the battle. Her makeup artist theorized to US Magazine in 2019 that if it weren't for the conservatorship, the couple would probably be married and with a child of their own at this point.

Recently, Spears has been spotted driving with Asghari after complaining in June that she’s not allowed to even go for a drive with him.