Why can’t I remember?!

[TakeYourHand]

You know I was just thinking 🤔 and I have no memory of how I felt when the cship was first put into place. I’m pretty sure I was relieved as I thought everything would be ok again. I can’t quite remember though. I was only 17 at the time. Do you guys remember your initial reaction? Did anyone feel it was wrong from the start? I do remember feeling she didn’t seem fully happy during the Circus era but I thought that was more due to the breakdown and not her restraints. Looking back that’s ironic as most of us have a new appreciation for that era. 

[GlitterSlayDExhaleHI]

I don’t think I really even understood or knew until about 2010/2011. 

[phareezy]

I definitely didn't understand the severity of it or what it really meant at the time. It sounded like a way to help her and I think it did initially but now we all know there were far better ways to have gone about it.

[TakeYourHand]

5 minutes ago, halfdressed said:

I don’t think I really even understood or knew until about 2010/2011. 

Most people didn’t know because the attention was set on her comeback. I’ve been on Exhale since 2007 so I know people had their opinions but I’m drawing the biggest blank on how the majority of Exhale reacted back then. 

[Anti-Hero]

I wasn’t a fan at the time so my reaction was as an outsider just watching the news. It was clear that Britney was not well at the time and needed some sort of intervention. But she shouldn’t have had her rights stripped away.

[jordeezy river red]

I didn't "get it" but I was glad that her parents seemed to be "helping" but I was very skeptical as well. I did believe the BS section on her website, though, and I think there were inaccuracies there. 

[PokemonSpears]

tbh I didn't understand, first of all because it wasn't covered that much, at least here in Mexico, and I wasn't checking every report on the internet back then. Then, there isn't even a proper word to translate that in Spanish lol because that doesn't exist in Mexico (or any Latin country that I know of). They often use "tutela" or "tutelaje" but that refers to a legal tutor, which is something different.

Besides that, there wasn't a lot of change immediately. If you look back, even after the conservatorship was placed, the following weeks she was still followed by the paparazzi as much as before, so if you were following the story through the media, the scenario hadn't changed a lot.

After the Circus era started, well, since the VMA's and all that, I fell for the trap as the majority of the people did, media, public and fans: "whatever they're doing, is working, it's been for the best" 

 

So yeah, each passing year, the question would keep popping up, what is this conservatorship and why is still on? Eventually I just assumed it was some sort of technicality for her to be able to see the kids, or some sort of stretching of the law to protect her against the lawsuits, mostly, so she didn't have to go to court herself and deal with the likes of Sam Lutfi, but I thought that otherwise she kept living a  "free" life. I mean, we saw her working, she had her kids half of the time, she seemed fine, even when around her father. I had no idea about Lou Taylor, didn't even know about Andrew Wallet. 

I did find strange when they mentioned Jason becoming co-conservator, and I do remember at the time reading that she wanted out when she got the X Factor deal. But I thought that by marrying Jason, Jamie would be removed, and eventually with the marriage, the conservatorship would be dissolved too. But then they broke up and nothing changed.

When in 2016 she was made to go to court and face Sam Lutfi, that's when everything stopped making sense to me, but there were rumors that, wait for it, that HER FATHER was seeking to terminate the conservatorship  and tbh it made sense with how good everything was going on that year. But then nothing happened, and fast forward to 2019, and well, I finally started to understand everything. 

[Guest]

I always thought it was strange the whole thing of Jamie being in control of her life considering she was a 26 years old mother of two. And the fact he wasnt that around before, ofc I didnt know he planned the whole thing for months and I didnt know about Lou. At the time I didnt know Jamie was a ****ty person and I thought he seemed discreet and humble, different from Lynne  but I didnt think it was last that long and Britney was being threatned, manipulated and abused. I thought the cship was to help her to have her kids back  I watched FTR and thought smt was weird, but I couldnt really see she was suffering even tho she said that. I thought she looked amazing, had her kids, was back on top of the world, so I admit I didnt really see she was sad. I remember one day after the vmas, she was seen by papz and she looked so sad, I didnt understand why and how. There were a lot of excuses here on exhale that the cship was to prevent her to depose, but in 2016 she deposed, so that theory couldnt exist anymore. I was also bothered when in 2011 it was clear that she couldnt marry without Jamies approval. That seemed beyond ****ed up even 10 years ago. Like we were living in the 20s or smt and the father would have to give his blessing. Then Jamie became her co conservator and that seemed beyond wrong. She looked quite miserable in 2012 and I thought that could have smt to do with that. I remember Britney looked quite sad and drugged in 2010-2011 too. In 2015 Billboard said she got 50% of the boys custody and I believed that. At the time some people thought that wasnt possible bc Britney didnt have any custody of herself, but I didnt believe the cship was that twisted for some reason. People said that was Larry lying to sell her life was normal. At the time I also never believed her bfs could be fake and paid bc I didnt want to believe how controlled/manipulated she was in her personal life too. I knew about her interviews being controlled but I thought her life wasnt like that  I guess I couldnt believe her life was such a lie and people were so mean to her, including her own father. The cship bothered me bc no other big star was in smt like that and I always questioned if she could have kids, considering she couldnt even get married without Jamies approval. I kept thinking itd end some day but it never did.

 

[Steel Magnolia]

I'm five years older than Britney, and was watching the story really closely at the time.

I was rolling out of bed every morning to check the news to make sure she had made it through the night.

Part of it was "suicide watch," part of it was being afraid she was accidentally going to drive off the edge of a cliff while racing with the paps, and part of it was watching Lutfi allow her to mix with regular people while out and about at night. She didn't have any security around her...It was a really scary time.

So, I was completely relieved when the temporary conservatorship was put in place. 

I wanted to give Jamie the benefit of the doubt at the time, and wanted to believe he had her best interests at heart.

But the moment the conservatorship was made permanent in October 2009? I changed my mind about Jamie. Fast.

[TakeYourHand]

2 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

I'm five years older than Britney, and was watching the story really closely at the time.

I was rolling out of bed every morning to check the news to make sure she had made it through the night.

Part of it was "suicide watch," part of it was being afraid she was accidentally going to drive off the edge of a cliff while racing with the paps, and part of it was watching Lutfi allow her to mix with regular people while out and about at night. She didn't have any security around her...It was a really scary time.

So, I was completely relieved when the temporary conservatorship was put in place. 

I wanted to give Jamie the benefit of the doubt at the time, and wanted to believe he had her best interests at heart.

But the moment the conservatorship was made permanent in October 2009? I changed my mind about Jamie. Fast.

I remember the biggest tipping point for me was when the newspapers were writing her obituary before her death as if it was a preconceived notion. So the cship felt like she was going to at least be safe. I really believed she was just upset about the breakdown after watching her during the circus era. She was better but not herself still. I never knew it was primarily due to the cship. It’s weird looking back at how I thought the situation was vs now and knowing the amount of control they had over her. She was so big that good or bad people needed Britney and her comeback was something people were starving for vs actually looking at her real situation. I guess that was a normal reaction after seeing her crash publicly though. Either way this women needs peace and freedom. Geeeez. 

[Haha-Hehe-Haha-Ho]

I remember feeling bad for her having so many constraints during For the Record but it never crossed my mind that she's still be in this a decade+ later.

I literally thought it'd be over by 2009, cause you know, how could a lucid, walking, talking human who can clearly speak their mind and make sound decisions be forced into something like that. The legal system would never allow that, right?

[Haha-Hehe-Haha-Ho]

11 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

I was rolling out of bed every morning to check the news to make sure she had made it through the night.

Sorry I was kinda young at the time so I don't remember this clearly, but I've seen several others say something like this. Was the assumption that she was on ***** or that she could harm herself or something? Maybe I was just a naive school kid then but all I remember is her going on aimless late night car rides trailed by a pap army, I recall seeing her as a punk rock badazz with an idgaf attitude, but nothing really made me concerned for her wellbeing or life. 

[Sgt Spears deputy]

I get fooled. I thought it was to save Brit from evil people. And I thought when she is under c-ship, she doesn´t need to make testimony at court. But to protect someone means not to control what this person buys, eats, wears, or with whom she slept. She can do whatever she wants. You just control what comes inside. Not outside. Like, you can check her friends, have an eye on them, but she can be with them alone. You control what others write to her, tell her, but she can write and tell everything she wants to whom she wants. And of cause to protect someone does not mean to take away her childhood friends and children.

[Peachy]

I've thought it was going to do her worse mental damage in the long run.. and I'm not sure I thats true but its time to end it. put that chapter to rest, she needs to live her life.. she is being treated like a trophy put in a glass case. 

[Sea flower]

I recall talking to my dad about it. I asked him if he knew what it meant and he mentioned it would probably be for a while, just to help her back on track. I mean, we were assuming her life was in danger and it was just temporary to help her.  Pobre ilusa - as we would say in spanish.

[Bluebirdlovely]

3 hours ago, TakeYourHand said:

You know I was just thinking 🤔 and I have no memory of how I felt when the cship was first put into place. I’m pretty sure I was relieved as I thought everything would be ok again. I can’t quite remember though. I was only 17 at the time. Do you guys remember your initial reaction? Did anyone feel it was wrong from the start? I do remember feeling she didn’t seem fully happy during the Circus era but I thought that was more due to the breakdown and not her restraints. Looking back that’s ironic as most of us have a new appreciation for that era. 

I didn’t really understand it but I felt kind of relieved knowing it was temporary at first. Then, when it became permanent, I researched it and felt sick to my stomach (and still do). we’ve seen the industry and greedy family members take advantage of mostly child stars. Britney is a child star! We’re witnessing another gross injustice infront of us. 

[Steel Magnolia]

35 minutes ago, Haha-Hehe-Haha-Ho said:

Sorry I was kinda young at the time so I don't remember this clearly, but I've seen several others say something like this. Was the assumption that she was on ***** or that she could harm herself or something? Maybe I was just a naive school kid then but all I remember is her going on aimless late night car rides trailed by a pap army, I recall seeing her as a punk rock badazz with an idgaf attitude, but nothing really made me concerned for her wellbeing or life. 

I knew she was partying hard throughout 2007, but never thought of her being "on *****" until the night she was photographed when it was obviously "that time of the month." I'm sure everyone woman springs a leak now and then, but for her to not be aware enough that she didn't realize the paps were photographing it? I thought at the time that she must be on something. There was too much of a disconnect going on.

There was talk on the X17 forum at the time about her taking Adderall, and that was what Britney told her doctors she was taking the night of the second 5150, so it turned out the rumours were true...What we didn't know was that Lutfi was crushing her prescription meds and putting them in her food.

It wasn't until the time period between the two 5150's that I really became concerned...It was clear the situation was spinning out of control.

 

[Haha-Hehe-Haha-Ho]

7 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

I knew she was partying hard throughout 2007, but never thought of her being "on *****" until the night she was photographed when it was obviously "that time of the month." I'm sure everyone woman springs a leak now and then, but for her to not be aware enough that she didn't realize the paps were photographing it? I thought at the time that she must be on something. There was too much of a disconnect going on.

There was talk on the X17 forum at the time about her taking Adderall, and that was what Britney told her doctors she was taking the night of the second 5150, so it turned out the rumours were true...What we didn't know was that Lutfi was crushing her prescription meds and putting them in her food.

It wasn't until the time period between the two 5150's that I really became concerned...It was clear the situation was spinning out of control.

 

Thanks for sharing. Yeah that seems pretty scary. Adderall is my vice so I'm well aware of how dangerous and out of control things can get if you're doing it in unlimited amounts/taking it without your knowledge. None of this was on my radar so that explains a lot. 

[Isla]

I didn't really understand when I first read about it (I became a fan towards the end of 2008/beginning of 2009), but at the same time I was hopeful that the cship was put in place to look after Britney after what had happened to her. However, over the years I wondered why Britney was still under the cship, and since the Free Britney movement imploded, it's clear the cship has gone on for too long and Britney is merely being exploited. 

[ThisMeowBiteback]

I think at the time we all thought this was a positive, Britney was going through so much at the time & I honestly thought we might lose her. The beginning of it seem like it was needed however once she got back on track & release Circus my feelings change towards the hold thing especially after seeing FTR