There’s a recent quote that Idina Menzel gave to Vulture in an interview celebrating the 20th anniversary of Wicked: “I think for a lot of women who are known to be larger than life, who fill a room, there’s this thing of wanting to be seen and loving the attention and appreciation for our gifts but also, when people are actually looking at you, feeling terrified and vulnerable.” That quote immediately made me think of the fifth season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, when soap star Eileen Davidson was added to the cast. “Being an actor, people assume that you love to have the attention focused on you,” Davidson explained in a confessional during a lunch with Lisa Rinna. “However, it’s a weird dichotomy of being a little uncomfortable when I’m getting attention. ‘Please pay attention to me!’ ‘Don’t pay attention to me!’”
This clip, which is admittedly often playing in my mind, came into sharp focus after I finished reading Britney Spears’s new memoir, The Woman in Me, and read the ensuing press around it. “I don’t like the headlines I am reading,” Spears wrote in a Notes App message posted on her Instagram. “That’s exactly why I quit the business four years ago!” And yet, here she is releasing a memoir, one of the most sure-fire ways to garner a ton of press. Combine that with the “bombshell” People Mag exclusive she did and you might be able to see the aforementioned dichotomy more clearly exemplified.
There are some obvious sensitivities when it comes to discussing anything Britney Spears-related. There’s the cultural reckoning spurred by the #FreeBritney movement, for one. The reality, as detailed in this book, of a decade-plus of abuse brought on by her father and his cronies, for another. Plus, an incredibly devout fan army that can pounce on any tinge of scrutiny. The sentiment within the culture over the past few years has felt like a collective desire for Spears to have the happiness many feel she deserves. Headline: “Cyndi Lauper Says Britney Spears 'Deserves To Be Happy.’” Headline: “Selena Gomez Says Britney Spears Deserves ‘All The Happiness In The World.’” Headline: “Kevin Federline Wants Britney Spears to Be 'Healthy and Happy.’”
I, too, want Britney to be happy. I also want to be able to discuss her book, a book that I had as strong of a reaction to as I did to the press surrounding its release. Let’s get into it.