Days after the shocking courtroom hearing that saw Pop megastar Britney Spears allege years of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of her family, many are still chatting about her jaw-dropping comments – taking to social media to droves to weigh in.
But while many are praising the ‘Overprotected’ hitmaker for finally speaking up, others – like film director and journalist Samantha Stark – worry her brazenness will come with consequences.
Stark is hailed a hero among Spears fans (affectionately called the #BritneyArmy) thanks to her telling documentary, ‘Framing Britney Spears.’ The stunning exposé, released in February, riled up viewers for its harrowing account of the GRAMMY winner’s life, conservatorship, and reports of the cynical misdeeds of her family members/handlers.
As news of the recent testimony made its rounds, Samantha took to ‘Entertainment Weekly’ to share her praise for the chart-topping diva.
“For me, it’s such a strange experience,” New York Times journalist Samantha Stark, tells EW of listening to Spears’ testimony. “I’ve spent, now, a year kind of breathing Britney Spears without ever meeting her or knowing her. Hearing her actually speak and say all this felt so powerful, because now we can’t deny what came out of her mouth or how she feels. And it’s been a year of struggling with wondering how she feels.”
That praise was quickly followed by concern, however.
“She said all of that, and she left in the exact same position she started,” Stark says. “Where are the safeguards for retaliation? If someone says, ‘I get punished when I speak up for myself,’ why wasn’t there an immediate action plan put into place to make sure Britney didn’t get retaliated against? And what does that mean for all the other people who are in conservatorships?”
Ultimately, Stark believes the flaws lie not only with the family but with the justice system as well.
“The thing that surprised me the most was that no one acknowledged these allegations of abuse or said that the next step would be looking into them,” she says. “It points out clear issues with the conservatorship system, because why is there no process in place that would trigger whatever happens next, after something as extraordinary and outrageous as what happened in the court [on Wednesday] happened?”
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Click here to see Samantha’s full interview with our friends at ‘EW.’