The musician says she’s ‘taking a little break from social media to celebrate my engagement’ – just days after her father filed to end her decade-long conservatorship
Britney Spears has deactivated her Instagram, telling fans that she’s “taking a little break from social media” to celebrate her engagement to her long-term boyfriend Sam Asghari.
Before she deleted her account, the musician shared a screenshot of an article titled, “Infusing education with heart” – which, Variety reports, “addresses encouraging children to explore their curiosity instead of being taught in more formal ways”. Alongside the image, Britney wrote: “Growing up in a world where basically everything I did was controlled by someone else… I hope this message gets to people who have been confused or manipulated by a system!!!!”
“No… you’re not alone,” she continued, “and no… you’re not crazy!!!! People need to hear this before it’s TOO LATE!!!! I’ve waited 13 years and counting for my freedom!!!!! Again… team #FreeBritney, you guys fucking kiss ass!!!!! Love you so much and God bless!!!!”
The pop star then deactivated the page, before responding to concerned fans on Twitter: “Don’t worry folks… just taking a little break from social media to celebrate my engagement!!!! I’ll be back soon.”
Britney and Asghari announced their engagement on Monday (September 13), with the pop star writing on Instagram: “I can’t fucking believe it!” The news was aptly timed, coming just days after Britney’s father Jamie filed to end the singer’s decade-long conservatorship – when addressing the court in June, Britney said she wanted to marry Asghari and have a baby, but has been forbidden to do so under the rules of the legal arrangement.
It’s unclear why Jamie suddenly filed to end the 13-year conservatorship – which he’s consistently defended – but he reportedly said “recent events” have called its necessity into question.
“Ms Spears has told this court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship,” the filing at a court in Los Angeles read. “She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where, and how often to get therapy. She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight. She wants to be able to get married and have a baby, if she so chooses. In short, she wants to live her life as she chooses without the constraints of a conservator or court proceeding.”
Don’t worry folks … just taking a little break from social media to celebrate my engagement 💍😉 !!!! I’ll be back soon 💋🌹✨
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) September 14, 2021
Britney’s conservatorship has been in the spotlight in recent months, following the fan-started #FreeBritney campaign calling for her freedom, as well as a viral New York Times documentary about the legal arrangement.
The artist spoke out about the trauma of her conservatorship for the first time in June, when she directly addressed the court handling her case. “I want this conservatorship to end without being evaluated,” she said, adding that it’s “doing me way more harm than good”. In the shocking testimony, Spears revealed that her conservators wouldn’t let her remove her IUD so she could have a baby and forced her to perform while she was sick, as well as calling for her father and “anyone involved in this conservatorship” to be put in jail.
Look back at Dazed’s op-ed about the NYT documentary, Framing Britney, here, and find out what conservatorships like Britney’s are like for everyday people here.