Before I reveal my review of Britney’s new memoir, “The Woman in Me,” I first need to wish her a happy birthday. One of the most iconic, legendary and recognizable talents in the music industry turns 42 today, December 2nd. After all of these years, I am still by your side love and admire the courage, bravery and humility you have displayed throughout your entire career and personal life, especially.

The things you have gone through, all in the public eye, I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have been like for you. I thought my hiccups in life were hard, but your story is eye-opening, relatable at times, incredible, sad and touching. You are absolutely the most resilient woman I hope to meet one day.

Being the Britney fan I am, that’s also not over the top or annoying about it, (fangirling) I didn’t even touch the book until three weeks after its release on October 24th, 2023. I had already been reading the crazy revelations and shocking details Brit slowly revealed upon the release of her autobiography all over Instagram, so I wanted to wait until the heat of that simmered down before taking my time to read her juicy, fun but often devastating and unfortunate memoir.

For me, much of the book was a wild and tumultuous journey that Britney describes in brutal detail. It was nostalgic, too though, definitely in the beginning that lead me down an also sometimes brutal memory lane. I was severely bullied and mentally abused for a good five years, from sixth grade to my sophomore year in high school. Your music and all of your energetic performances got me through some tough times. I wanted to be you.

Knowing the backstory and behind the scenes moments of some of my favorite memories of her, like certain performances on TV and concerts I went to and how negative it truly was for Brit, was so disgusting. Learning how mistreated and unheard she was during those what should have been happy, celebratory experiences makes me sick. I believe that ex-husband Sam Asghari was in Britney’s corner and always wanted her to be happy. She even says how much she loves him still and will always cherish a special place in her heart for him.

I have been a Britney fan since the moment I laid eyes on her in the bleacher scene, holding a basketball in the now infamous Baby One More Time video in 1999. While I already knew about the Justin Timberlake scandal of how he forced Brit to have an abortion when they were just kids and at the peak of their careers, hearing it directly in her words hit way different; heartbreaking and emotional.

I always knew deep down she was ultimately designed to be America’s pop princess puppet the entertainment industry could control, but the dark light the media portrayed her in and how invasive the paparazzi was to her during her mental breakdown is just gross. The fact that most of her troubles and traumatic incidents were caused by her immediate family, especially her father, is literally outrageous. Britney Spears is not a victim to me because she is strong as fuck and persevered through so much shit, but she was 100% bullied, taken advantage of and was clearly a victim of abuse for decades.

During her thirteen year conservatorship, Britney Spears couldn’t spend her own money, was not aloud to leave her home unless pre-authorized by her Dad and wasn’t allowed to eat what she desired. Like what? Even more disturbing, her father, Jamie Spears, kept her constantly confined to her own home, like she was some hostage and prisoner in his sick and diluted mind.

Jamie and medical “professionals” medicated her so much that she turned into a robot and was obviously so sedated doing shows she didn’t want to do, including the last leg of her Vegas residency. How did her team and her therapists | psychiatrists not say anything regarding how demented the entire situation was? Jamie must have paid a pretty penny to keep people quiet.

Brits behavior was way different to the fans and was questioned as early in 2012 when she was a judge on The X-Factor. She was frozen, unhappy and looked so damn uncomfortable. Her southern charm, funny and animated presence was taken from her as soon as she shaved her head, in 2007. That incident was too embarrassing for the Spears family to handle, so they continued to profit from her overworked, zombie like appearance that was actually quite disturbing at times. As long as Jamie made money, he didn’t give a rats ass about the fragile state his first born daughter was in.

I was really mad when I finished the book. I couldn’t believe the things her family did to her for so many years, neglecting the manic and depressive episodes she suffered from. She definitely needed to be treated and supported during the most chaotic times of her life, but keeping one of the sweetest, nicest and most genuine people in the industry locked in a cage is just evil. I know Britney’s memoir has helped a lot of people struggling with abuse and she should be proud that she finally got to expose the truth she was unable to tell for decades. I don’t ever like to manifest ill will upon anyone, but daddy Spears, I hope you experience karma (not in the Taylor way) so bad that you’ll be locked in a prison for the rest of your fucking life.