exhale “Why Am I Still Thinking About How The View Celebrated Britney Spears' Divorce?”

[Guest]

Why Am I Still Thinking About How The View Celebrated Britney Spears' Divorce?

By CHRISTOPHER ROSA

Source link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.glamour.com/story/how-the-view-celebrated-britney-spears-divorce-kevin-federline/amp

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The View has captured my attention on three separate occasions: when Lady Gaga wore a checkered suit and talked incessantly about how she's Italian (2011), when Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck had that huge fightwith the finger-pointing (2007), and when the show's hosts celebrated Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's divorce (2006). That last one is ingrained in my memory more than my mother's name, because it encapsulates my vision of the mid-2000s perfectly.

You remember that era: People thought it was ridiculously cool to wear fuzzy boots with frayed jean skirts; Paris Hilton had a starring role in the House of Wax remake; and, oh yes, Britney Spears was dating a backup dancer named Kevin Federline, who seemed to have a real affinity for white tank tops. The couple met in April 2004, during a sweaty night at Joseph's, a then popular Hollywood club that Spears frequented on Mondays. "He was like a magnet," the pop star said in 2004 about meeting Federline. "I was being pulled. It was so beyond my control."

The couple soon became magnets for the media too, attracting headlines every time they wore matching trucker hats, bought Fanta at gas stations, or burped in hotel rooms. It's unclear how much of this "de-glamming" was Spears' choice or the product of Federline's influence, but regardless, it caused her forward-facing golden-child image to tarnish. Unfair, I realize, but it was indicative of the early aughts: a time when a young starlet's public perception rested solely on how well she "behaved." And Spears obviously wasn't meeting society's expectations anymore.

After a surprise marriage in September 2004 and two kids over the span of two years, people feared the Britney Spears they knew and loved was gone forever. Her main priority was now a white dude who thought he could break into the rap game with a song called "PopoZao." Times were tough.

That's why everyone let out a massive sigh of relief in November 2006, when news broke that Spears was leaving Federline. Finally, we'd get our Brit-Brit back. No one, however, was more elated than the women of The View, who kicked off their November 8 show with the news.

"I just want to say I never expected anything like this; I'm over-the-moon excited," host Rosie O'Donnell said, her voice shaking with pleasure. "But it's the biggest news in the country: Ladies and gentleman, Britney Spears is leaving K-Fed!"

"Britney! Britney! Britney!" O'Donnell shouts from the top of her lungs. "Let me just say on behalf of a happy America: Welcome back, Britney. We love you!"

Then O'Donnell said the word that will forever symbolize our culture's elation about this divorce: "Confetti!" Soon, the entire View studio was covered with it, and the audience was hugging and hollering as if Spears were their best friend. It's quite the sight. "Britney! Britney! Britney!" O'Donnell shouts from the top of her lungs. "Let me just say on behalf of a happy America: Welcome back, Britney. We love you!"

The segment is a cultural artifact that's both ridiculous and illuminating. On the one hand, you can't take it that seriously. Britney Spears is a celebrity, after all, and The View just used her divorce to create a buzzy on-air moment. The hosts were likely trying to drum up publicity around a hot topic—and it worked. Here I am, talking about it 12 years later.

But there's also something quietly sinister about the whole thing. It was just a few months prior that Spears had sat down for a teary-eyed interview with Matt Lauer during which she said, point-blank, that the media's treatment of Federline deeply upset her. "It makes me wanna cry," she said, actually holding back tears. Watch five minutes of the hour-long chat, and you'll clearly see Spears was just a 24-year-old woman desperately trying to make her marriage work, even though the world wanted the exact opposite. One headline at the time even read, "Can she work it out with Kevin? We hope not!" There was seriously a bounty on the demise of this marriage (and, by proxy, Spears' happiness), and when it imploded, The View was right there to celebrate.

Why was the public so against st this union? Snarky jokes about Spears' Red Bull–swilling image aside, it didn't seem like she was hurting anyone by being with Federline. Making quips about his music "career" or the couple's trips to Taco Bell is one thing, but actively hoping for a marriage we know nothing about to fail is something else entirely. When Spears was with Federline, she was more unfiltered, vocal, and human—things our culture still has trouble digesting when they come from women, let alone those as famous as Spears.

"All of us—men and women both—are raised to believe that we have the right to judge and control women’s lives and decisions," Sady Doyle, the author of Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear… and Why, told Glamour last year when we chatted with her about pop culture's obsession with female celebrities failing. "That is a perfect recipe for mob hatred and punitive vigilante cruelty."

Fans and spectators alike were convinced the former Spears—the "good" Britney—would magically return when she left Federline, and they could put her back in a box that made them feel comfortable. Of course, this didn't happen: Spears' divorce was presumably one of the triggers that led to her very public breakdown in 2007, which spawned a slate of all new, equally uncomfortable headlines about her "behavior."

Yes, The View's stunt is funny, but it doesn't exist in a vacuum, either. The chatter and gossip and judgment surrounding Spears' relationship is why the show's announcement was cathartic to many. It's what we felt we deserved after enduring months of bizarre Britney headlines that depicted her acting in a way we didn't approve. When Spears divorced Federline, she was devastated. She's said that on multiple occasions. While she was in crisis, though, we cheered and celebrated on daytime television. "Welcome back, Britney" was, in many ways, code for "Get back in line." That's not a pretty picture—even if it does include confetti

 

 

* watching this clip reminded me of Britney’s relationship with Rosie during her prime years. I used to love her appearances on the Rosie talk show back in the day. It always seemed like they had a good rapport. Rosie seemed to genuinely like Britney too. I wonder after this episode of The View, if Britney still feels the same way towards Rosie. That couldn’t have felt good to see a group of grown women celebrating the end of her marriage like that. 

[2K16NEY]

LMAO wow. They were a bit happy, weren’t they? When Rosie says that she’s happy to have Britney back, it’s quite sad because the opposite happened, we kind of lost her (or the way she was) forever. 

Anyway, this video reminded me of the whole Ariana and Pete saga.

 

[Guest]

Just now, 2K16NEY said:

LMAO wow. They were a bit happy, weren’t they? When Rosie says that she’s happy to have Britney back, it’s quite sad because the opposite happened, we kind of lost her (or the way she was) forever. 

Anyway, this video reminded me of the whole Ariana and Pete saga.

 

So bizarre in retrospect, it’s like we wanted to ignore the fact that she’d been married for like, three years and had two children, and expected for her to just go back to being 21? 

[wonder]

I love that there was confetti for this. So extra. 

[Chaoscontrol]

Thanks for posting, I love reading little write ups like these because I've always been interested in this 'relationship' society has with Britney. It's actually one of the things that drew me to being a fan of hers years ago. 

Britney has always been this sideshow attraction for the world. Shes something that people have enjoyed in many forms. Reading a headline about her with their morning coffee, listening to a song on the way to work, gossiping about her at the water cooler on break, etc. Most people don't even realize but each of us individually has some sort of relationship with the person who we think she is, even the people who are non-fans. 

It's just crazy when you think about the magnitude of her fame (and many others before her too). To think that one person's personal business can be the topic of majority of the world is just insane to me. I used to work at an Asian restaurant and the cooks came from a very poor country; they could hardly speak English and communication was tough. But they knew who Britney Spears was, and that she shaved her head. Her stardom is something the entire world has in common, no matter where you come from or what language you speak.

No wonder Britney is an anxious wreck. It makes me anxious thinking about it too, and I'm just one of the many observers. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Chaoscontrol said:

Thanks for posting, I love reading little write ups like these because I've always been interested in this 'relationship' society has with Britney. It's actually one of the things that drew me to being a fan of hers years ago. 

Britney has always been this sideshow attraction for the world. Shes something that people have enjoyed in many forms. Reading a headline about her with their morning coffee, listening to a song on the way to work, gossiping about her at the water cooler on break, etc. Most people don't even realize but each of us individually has some sort of relationship with the person who we think she is, even the people who are non-fans. 

It's just crazy when you think about the magnitude of her fame (and many others before her too). To think that one person's personal business can be the topic of majority of the world is just insane to me. I used to work at an Asian restaurant and the cooks came from a very poor country; they could hardly speak English and communication was tough. But they knew who Britney Spears was, and that she shaved her head. Her stardom is something the entire world has in common, no matter where you come from or what language you speak.

No wonder Britney is an anxious wreck. It makes me anxious thinking about it too, and I'm just one of the many observers. 

To me Britney has always been so fascinating to follow for those reasons you mentioned. The way people/society reacts/discusses her is so indicative of many of the current cultural views on womanhood etc. 

Can I say I stay looking forward to your posts. The way you write and your views, chile we need more of that in this forum. 

 

[Chaoscontrol]

2 minutes ago, Khoazie said:

To me Britney has always been so fascinating to follow for those reasons you mentioned. The way people/society reacts/discusses her is so indicative of many of the current cultural views on womanhood etc. 

Can I say I stay looking forward to your posts. The way you write and your views, chile we need more of that in this forum. 

 

Thank you  I appreciate that!! 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Chaoscontrol said:

Thank you  I appreciate that!! 

Honestly, it’s a nice break from the rampant meltdowns (although I live for those ) and  Britney bashing (that I could do without, but this is the Internet so...). 

 But yeah, a large part of the reason why I’m such a fan, besides her music and work, is what you pointed out as society’s relationship with Britney. I come from an immigrant family, and many of my relatives are older and very out of touch with anything pop culture related, and wouldn’t be able to tell Taylor swift apart from Selena Gomez. Yet somehow they know Britney. It’s fascinating! 

[I Can Bang]

Even tho i always disliked K-Flop, i think that was very unnecessary! (Even if it wasn't meant to be offensive) i mean, you're celebrating the fact that a woman just divorced from her ""man"" () idk, i just think it was too much and kinda disrespectful, because as Britney herself said during FTR: "when Kevin left me i didn't know what to do with myself, cause i have 2 children with him" i mean, he's an as**ole but that was unnecessary! 

[Chaoscontrol]

1 minute ago, Khoazie said:

Honestly, it’s a nice break from the rampant meltdowns (although I live for those ) and  Britney bashing (that I could do without, but this is the Internet so...). 

 But yeah, a large part of the reason why I’m such a fan, besides her music and work, is what you pointed out as society’s relationship with Britney. I come from an immigrant family, and many of my relatives are older and very out of touch with anything pop culture related, and wouldn’t be able to tell Taylor swift apart from Selena Gomez. Yet somehow they know Britney. It’s fascinating! 

Yeah it truly is awesome. A couple handful of stars (MJ, Marilynn, Elvis, Princess Diana all come to mind) are just so universal that it seems the world knows who they are regardless of background. 

I'llforever be interested in the sociology around celebrity culture. Particularly these global stars. I just find it absolutely fascinating 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Chaoscontrol said:

Yeah it truly is awesome. A couple handful of stars (MJ, Marilynn, Elvis, Princess Diana all come to mind) 

And Whitney Houston. Looking at that list, I’m taken aback by how tragic all their life stories are. 

[Chaoscontrol]

2 minutes ago, Khoazie said:

And Whitney Houston. Looking at that list, I’m taken aback by how tragic all their life stories are. 

OMG I had Whitney after Di but wasn't really sure if she was considered global 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Do Somethin' said:

Even tho i always disliked K-Flop, i think that was very unnecessary! (Even if it wasn't meant to be offensive) i mean, you're celebrating the fact that a woman just divorced from her ""man"" () idk, i just think it was too much and kinda disrespectful, because as Britney herself said during FTR: "when Kevin left me i didn't know what to do with myself, cause i have 2 children with him" i mean, he's an as**ole but that was unnecessary! 

Yeah, I’ll admit when it happened, I was like 22 and not perceptive enough to see how it was pretty insensitive. I remember feeling that relief too when the marriage ended, and naively thought it meant the return of the Britney I grew up with. It didn’t occur to think that this was also an extremely painful chapter in her life, she clearly wanted a life with him or else she wouldn’t have had two children with him so quickly.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Chaoscontrol said:

OMG I had Whitney after Di but wasn't really sure if she was considered global 

Omg you should watch her “Whitney” documentary that came out last summer. It’s fierce, you can’t help but draw parallels to Britney’s story in the spotlight. But yeah, Whitney is absolutely up there with Elvis to me. She’s one of the names I think of when I think American legend.

[fnfurter]

Nnnnn, except, okay-- a big thing they left out of this? Rosie used to be like Ellen to Britney, only Britney with an actual seeming friendship with Rosie. (As opposed to Ellen "all we do is skits 'cause we're such good friends just ignore how awkward Britney looks right now.") In a big way, yes, this is America celebrating. But, if it can be believed, this was the sort of relationship the two of them had pre-2007:

Just to explain her extraness a bit more.

[I Can Bang]

6 minutes ago, Khoazie said:

Yeah, I’ll admit when it happened, I was like 22 and not perceptive enough to see how it was pretty insensitive. I remember feeling that relief too when the marriage ended, and naively thought it meant the return of the Britney I grew up with. It didn’t occur to think that this was also an extremely painful chapter in her life, she clearly wanted a life with him or else she wouldn’t have had two children with him so quickly.

Exactly, so the fact that they "celebrated" the divorce just makes me think about how mean some people are and they'd do anything for their audience  but that doesn't mean you should disrespect someone's life, especially such a delicate moment! 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, f**knfurter said:

Nnnnn, except, okay-- a big thing they left out of this? Rosie used to be like Ellen to Britney, only Britney with an actual seeming friendship with Rosie. (As opposed to Ellen "all we do is skits 'cause we're such good friends just ignore how awkward Britney looks right now.") In a big way, yes, this is America celebrating. But, if it can be believed, this was the sort of relationship the two of them had pre-2007:

Just to explain her extraness a bit more.

Omg I used to love that special! I loved Britney’s hair like that. There’s  a scene where she’s doing sound check and you can hear her singing live! Ugh you brought me back.

I always got the impression Britney looked up to Rosie/liked her, almost like a mother figure of sorts. 

It’s kind of cringey now to think what that must’ve felt like for Britney to see that The View episode.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, f**knfurter said:

 

Just to explain her extraness a bit more.

Ok I just rewatched this . I have not seen this in over a decade, and the way they have music from OIDIA in the background throughout the episode immediately transported me back to my teen years. I recorded this on VHS and obsessively watched this so many times. And LFO! and back when Rosie was straight and into Tom Cruise! I can’t. 

[.: lucky :.]

1 hour ago, Chaoscontrol said:

Thanks for posting, I love reading little write ups like these because I've always been interested in this 'relationship' society has with Britney. It's actually one of the things that drew me to being a fan of hers years ago. 

Britney has always been this sideshow attraction for the world. Shes something that people have enjoyed in many forms. Reading a headline about her with their morning coffee, listening to a song on the way to work, gossiping about her at the water cooler on break, etc. Most people don't even realize but each of us individually has some sort of relationship with the person who we think she is, even the people who are non-fans. 

It's just crazy when you think about the magnitude of her fame (and many others before her too). To think that one person's personal business can be the topic of majority of the world is just insane to me. I used to work at an Asian restaurant and the cooks came from a very poor country; they could hardly speak English and communication was tough. But they knew who Britney Spears was, and that she shaved her head. Her stardom is something the entire world has in common, no matter where you come from or what language you speak.

No wonder Britney is an anxious wreck. It makes me anxious thinking about it too, and I'm just one of the many observers. 

Really well put. Reminds me how she's said on multiple occasions that she can't really grasp the magnitude of her fame, or how she can't think about it because it becomes too much. It's amazing she wasn't destroyed by her fame. 

It also reminds me of this thing Lana Del Rey said a while ago about how her closest relationships are with icons. That she feels she knows them and understands them like no one else, and how we all kind of have this personal relationship with these larger than life figures. I definitely could relate to that. It seems to be a very human thing and I wonder where it comes from. Maybe loneliness

[Betty1994]

5 hours ago, Chaoscontrol said:

Thanks for posting, I love reading little write ups like these because I've always been interested in this 'relationship' society has with Britney. It's actually one of the things that drew me to being a fan of hers years ago. 

Britney has always been this sideshow attraction for the world. Shes something that people have enjoyed in many forms. Reading a headline about her with their morning coffee, listening to a song on the way to work, gossiping about her at the water cooler on break, etc. Most people don't even realize but each of us individually has some sort of relationship with the person who we think she is, even the people who are non-fans. 

It's just crazy when you think about the magnitude of her fame (and many others before her too). To think that one person's personal business can be the topic of majority of the world is just insane to me. I used to work at an Asian restaurant and the cooks came from a very poor country; they could hardly speak English and communication was tough. But they knew who Britney Spears was, and that she shaved her head. Her stardom is something the entire world has in common, no matter where you come from or what language you speak.

No wonder Britney is an anxious wreck. It makes me anxious thinking about it too, and I'm just one of the many observers. 

 

5 hours ago, Khoazie said:

To me Britney has always been so fascinating to follow for those reasons you mentioned. The way people/society reacts/discusses her is so indicative of many of the current cultural views on womanhood etc. 

Can I say I stay looking forward to your posts. The way you write and your views, chile we need more of that in this forum. 

 

I really want a sub forum for this please start a thread. The psychology of Britneys fame, fans and success. 

We can look piece by piece of her tabloid interviews dissect them e.t,c and see how to explain the phenomenon.