Britney Spears reentered the spotlight earlier this year when a New York Times documentary called Framing Britney Spears was released. The film, which hit Hulu and FX in early February, explored the role the media played in Spears' downfall and started a larger conversation about how the press and society treat famous young women. Spears—who's in the midst of a legal battle regarding her conservatorship (her father was named as her conservator in 2008 when she was 26)—hasn't said much about the newfound attention that's been paid to a dark time in her life. She first acknowledged Framing Britney Spears at the end of March, posting an Instagram video with a caption noting she's "always been so judged... insulted... and embarrassed by the media." "I still am till this day," she wrote. "I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in ... I cried for two weeks and well .... I still cry sometimes." But she didn't address any of the details of the documentary until now—and it seems she's since watched it for herself.
In a new Instagram on May 3, Spears addressed some of the specifics of Framing Britney Spears, particularly comments from one photographer who captured the infamous images of Spears shaving her head and wielding an umbrella to hit his car. Read on to find out what Spears said, and for more from the documentary, find out why This Diane Sawyer Interview With Britney Spears Has People Outraged.
Britney Spears had a message for the paparazzo who took the notorious photos of her after she shaved her head.
The New York Daily NewsOne of the most talked-about moments of Framing Britney Spears was an interview with Daniel Ramos, a former paparazzo who photographed Spears for years. He's the one who captured the images of the pop star the night she shaved her head in 2007.
Seemingly out of frustration, Spears retaliated against the photographer that night by smashing his car with an umbrella, which he captured in another photo plastered across the covers of tabloids (as seen here on The New York Daily News). Shortly thereafter, Spears sought treatment for her mental well-being.
"In the beginning when paparazzis were following Britney, you could tell she enjoyed it," Ramos said in the documentary, noting he was surprised when Spears hit his car that night. "She would give up the shots, waving. She was very friendly, a sweetheart of a girl. It was like she needed us and we needed her. We both needed each other. It was a great kind of a relationship. ... Working on her for so many years, she never gave a clue or information to us that, 'I would appreciate [if] you guys [would] leave me the eff alone.'"
The filmmaker then asked Ramos from behind the camera, "What about when she said, 'Leave me alone?'"
"There were times when she [was] like, 'Can you leave me alone for the day?'" Ramos responded. "But it wasn't like, 'Leave me alone forever.' You know what I mean?"
But in the post-script of her most recent Instagram, Spears confirmed that's precisely what she wanted. "No paparazzi guy," she wrote at the bottom of her lengthy caption. "I didn’t want you and your crew following me around !!!!"
And for another earlier moment that came back into the spotlight, find out why This Resurfaced Oprah Interview With Mary-Kate and Ashley Has Fans Livid.
Spears called the documentary about her "hypocritical."
The New York Times via YouTubeWhile Spears said she was "deeply flattered" by the attention of the Framing Britney Spears documentary, she noted it's full of "other people's takes on [her] life." "These documentaries are so hypocritical … they criticize the media and then do the same thing ????????" she wrote on Instagram. (At the end of Framing Britney Spears, the filmmakers say they requested Spears' participation in the film, but said it was "unclear" if she "received the requests." Her father, mother, brother, and sister—among others—also denied or didn't respond to requests to participate.)
"Although I've had some pretty tough times in my life, I've had waaaayyyy more amazing times in my life," Spears told her followers on Instagram.
She added, "I think the world is more interested in the negative ??♀️??♀️??♀️ !!!! ... Why highlight the most negative and traumatizing times in my life from forever ago ????"
And for another celebrity motivated to speak out in the wake of Framing Britney Spears, This Child Star Is Revealing the Damage of Being Sexualized at a Young Age.
She debunked the theory that she doesn't write her own Instagram posts.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesSpears also shut down the rumor that's persisted for years that she doesn't write her own Instagram posts. One of her former makeup artists, Billy Brasfield, claimed to Page Six in late March that Spears told him she had no control over her earlier Instagram post criticizing Framing Britney Spears.
"I don’t actually talk to Billy B AT ALL so I’m honestly very confused ??? !!!" she wrote in this new Instagram caption in May. "This is my Instagram !!!!"
Spears also told TMZ earlier, "No, I’m not talking to him at all. I write my posts. I’m not sure who he is talking to, but I am not talking to Billy B."
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And she shared how well things are going for her right now.
DFree/ShutterstockAlong with a video of her dancing, Spears wrote on Instagram that she has a lot going for her at the moment, despite the negativity from Ramos, Brasfield, and others. "I have so many trips I'm looking forward to taking this summer and I can't wait to dance in different studios ?♀️?♀️?♀️ !!!!" she wrote.
She added that she's "hoping to get a miniature koi pond" in her backyard, which she said is Better Homes and Gardens cover-worthy. "I'm no @MarthaStewart that's for sure … but I will tell you I have the finest garden here in LA ????????? !!!!"
Before challenging what Brasfield and Ramos said in the post-script of her Instagram, Spears closed her message with, "I hope you're all living your best lives and s*** or as @parishilton would say SLIVING!!! ... I know I am ???!!!!"
And for more from Hilton's history, check out Paris Hilton Just Made a Rare Comment About Her Sex Tape.
