Happy Birthday, Britney Spears

This might appear to be a bit of a departure, but bear with me.

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On this, the day of her 27th birthday, I think we should say Happy Birthday to the former Mouseketeer and pop music star. She's had a really tough couple of years (five? six?) and now that she has rehab, headshaving, divorce court, bad driving arrests, and a series of worthless exs behind her, and she's started wearing underpanties again in public (or at least, she's stopped flashing us her naked nether regions), Britney is finally moving forward.

I am not being sarcastic in the least.

I admit, when she broke out in 1999 as a "pop diva" in her Catholic schoolgirl outfit, I was less than thrilled that every eight-year-old girl interviewed on TV wanted to be a Britney sex-ppot clone. Of course, plenty of people were appalled when Madonna wore her bras outside her clothes, poorly frosted hair, fingerless black lace gloves, more bling than Snoop Dogg, and sang about being "like a virgin" when I was but a wee thing myself. And, for quite a while, I thought Madonna was a great role model for women. Not eight-year-olds of course, but we were a little more realistic in the early 80s (what?).

Back to Britney.

Despite general assumptions and the last messy years, it should be clear that Britney works hard. Really hard. Besides not having a regular childhood, being driven by either her own ambitions or those of her parents', Britney was touring at 16. Jeez. At sixteen I was working hard at writing soul poetry, translating French, and figuring out what blush color was best, not being an opening act for N'Sync across Europe. But if I had been... nope. Can't even imagine me doing that. Nor, I am certain, could anyone who knows me (of course, they never saw me dancing around my living room belting out the entire OKLAHOMA sound track to my own choreography... I could do a little now? Anyone? Anyone?)

So despite my general disgust at parents that allowed their elementary and toddler girls to emulate Britney's pop-diva sex stylings, I get that she was a role model for little girls who otherwise would have spent the 90s staring at the Back Street Boys and N'Sync, simply feeling left out. Hmm. Left out or Lolita... again, the music industry addresses gender issues in a compelling, deeply responsible manner. But I digress.

And yes, I do think her parents exploited Britney and her pretty, girl-next-door looks, turning them (and her) into a Lolita pin-up girl (or worse). But evidence points to the fact that her parents are not the smartest or most discriminating cookies on Planet Parent. And puh-lenty of people were willing to a/ buy the albums, b/ watch the videos, and c/ discuss whether the photos and videos were art or pornography (the answer is B), thereby keeping little Britney in her underwear in the spotlight. And I do mean adults and teenage boys, not just pre-teen and teen girls...

Should we be surprised she finally ditched the underwear? Sorry to dwell, but this is the part of the story I can't quite get: multiple flashings that were racked up to bad dressing or memory loss. Forget it: when I start flashing the paparazzi my naked gyno parts, I am screaming for help! Oops, I did it again--stop me, someone! Before I shave my head, sport ridiculous body ink, and date/marry/divorce several posturing losers.

So the fact that Britney made multiple record-breaking albums and some questionable personal choices is not surprising. Is she an intellectual? No. Is she smart enough to write some killer songs? Yes--and I mean killer pop anthems that keep you singing them, no matter what, just like the damn Carousel tunes I cannot get out of my head no matter how much I HATE that bloody musical! (Oh, no--"Walk on, walk on..." Crap.) And bad dating choices--hey, we've all been there. Marital choices? Yep. Kissed some... unexpected folks in public? Yes. Packed on some weight? Oh boy, yeah. Hair style disasters? Sad, but affirmative. Haven't we all been haunted by the brainless stunts and "oops!" factor of family members? A-huh.

Just like any role model worth having, Britney has had some bad times... and come back stronger, more limber, and looking pretty damn good. Apparently, for the sake of her kids and not just her career, although why the hell not, after all that work?

Imagine being a performer moving up aggressively from the age of 8. Imagine being 16 and the opening act for boybands in Europe on a continental tour. Imagine having parents who allow (encourage?) you to appear in your skivvies in a national magazine... at 17. Imagine winning every award there is and going platinum by the time you're 20. Imagine making albums and movies that get laughed at by "serious" critics even while they break records. Imagine being talked about as washed up by the time you're 25. Imagine overcoming addiction through rehab by the time you're 26. Imagine being followed by 100+ paparazzi daily. Imagine having the details of your annulment, divorce, breakups, childcare, family's mistakes, and ex's vindictiveness public record. 

In Truth or Dare, the Madonna docudrama, I love the scene where Warren Beatty asks Madonna why everything has to be on camera. It is an interesting scene, given that at the time Warren had been "on camera" for three decades and his sexploits were legend. Even he is stunned by the unrelenting self-publicity of the Madonna machine. Britney is not Madonna: she is neither as manipulative or as hard-shelled as the Material Girl. As a result, she has had a lot more public stumble than Madonna ever had, Sean Penn or no.

By the way, the documentary on Britney, Confession, aired here last night on French TV. Having a bit of a Britney moment, I watched it. And actually found the Madonna segment a lot more troubling than any part of the Britney show. Other than Mr. Spears (?).  Surprisingly (and I say that tongue firmly in cheek) it was not a deeply insightful, deeply confessional documentary, but a celeb piece about shopping, filming videos, her posse, and her recovery. Britney is not deeply philosophical (thank God!) but rather pragmatic and realistic and focused. If she was posing as Susan Sontag, I'd be disappointed; this was pretty much what I thought it would be.

And yet--being interested in women performers, performance, and celebrity--I was also interested in how Britney handles her own career within the interaction with managers, producers, agents, and her father. How she generates and controls her image onstage, in videos, and in daily interactions.

The biggest surprise: her kids were nowhere to be seen.

In an era of celeb kiddies, I found this refreshing. I know she no longer has custody, blah blah blah, but don't tell me that she couldn't have found time in the 60 days of filming to get "the family" on camera and demonstrate her mothering skills. Brangelina does it every five minutes. Britney talks about the children and her ex, but she doesn't bring them on camera. Likewise, she doesn't bring her sister into this, either, and bank on/use/attack Jamie Lynn's situation.

I admire both Madonna and Britney, in different ways. Not easy to be a success in what is still a macho, male-dominant industry, especially when family members/support group are absent or exploiters. Not easy when you grow up in a situation that is likely to exploit you, use you up, and then shove you out the door, naked and broke. Not easy when everyone making decisions for you is male and older, and you've got to make your voice heard/stand up to them.

So, Happy Birthday, Britney, and congratulations on being sober, on selling records (now "Womanizer" is playing through my head... just like "Respect Yourself" used to). If that's a sign that Britney is smarter, more self-respecting and self-reliant, or just simply a survivor of far more crap than regular people like you and I can imagine... good for her.

And... Happy Birthday to my oldest friend (meaning, the friend I have had for the longest time ever) Sue. We have been friends since Mrs. Russell's third grade class and now, at 32(ish), we're still the same charming, intelligent, adorable dishes we were then... wish I had a copy of our class picture to post here. (Maybe not.) I have always admired Sue's musical talent (huge!), sense of humor, patience and even-temper, and work ethic. You and Britney: excellent role models. And both in the sign of Sagitarius... another reason we're good friends! 

Pearl