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Do u miss "old" Britney? How did it feel to stan her at her prime?


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Honestly it was the norm it was what we were used to so u didn’t think about it. Britney was britney. I know during in the zone I was still a kid and kinda missed the warm big sister energy she had in her 1st 3 eras but idk I was still obsessed w the album and era. It’s one of those things where u don’t know what u have til it’s gone. I don’t think I realized she was different til I saw her Bambi performance and realized she really wasn’t going to deliver her old dancing ever again. And I loveeee the circus era, 1st concert I went to, but it was the 1st era where u didn’t even know if she knew the album tracks existed, and on tour u kinda felt she was vacant. She was great, but distant from the fans? Like she was there, but it was all business and not the usual warmth u feel from her if that makes sense 

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I mean, I know this was already 5 years ago, but people were writing her off before that and saying Primeney was gone… I don’t believe that. I think she knows what she is doing, and when she is in control I feel like she will deliver. Like… this 5 year old performance gets me more excited than anything Beyoncé has done in the last 5 years 🤷🏼‍♀️And don’t even start on the pole dancing, I’m a little relieved she wasn’t the best pole dancer cause she’s literally not a ******** 😂

You definitely see glimpses of our girl during this performance 🥺 I know she’s still there. 
I got to see her for the first time for The Onyx Hotel tour and I loved it 😍 but I was obsessed since BOMT. It was such a fun time to experience- you have to consider the fact that the internet was nothing like it is today. Most people did not have it at home and went to the library or used school computers, and cell phones were also nothing like they are today. We got all our news primarily from MTV and magazines like J-14 or TigerBeat 😂 and stanning a celeb was a way bigger deal back in the day. If you were too young to remember the show Fanatic, look it up, to be a superfan you really had to do all the work😂… I can proudly say that there have been multiple times through my life that you could not even see the paint on my bedroom walls because i had so many Britney pix/posters ❤️❤️❤️ Ahh the good days. 

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On 6/13/2021 at 2:56 PM, halfdressed said:

We knew she was the **** but it was hard to appreciate it because fire is all we knew. Then a lot of disappointed fans through the years, starting with circus, got a lot of heat for wondering why she seemed so not into it (obviously the conservatorship has a lot to do with it). But every damn day since femme fatale interviews and tour has gotten worse. And worse. And worse. I’m not saying I don’t understand why, I’m just saying how it is. The one exception was 2016-2017 and that one brief time around Christmas when she had short hair did she seem like herself. Even in 2016 with the spark, the tour chroeo was so bad she couldn’t “be what she was”. I know she could be under all the right circumstances but **** - even in FTR, you know, A DECADE AND A HALF AGO - she felt like every day was Groundhog Day. I think she has learned to find peace so she can cope with everything that happens to her under the conservatorship. But I think it has broken her spirit. 

I disagree. 2011 was bad, but it didn't get worse, but all the opposite. 2012 was so much better than 2011, then 2013 was even better, and so on until she peaked again in 2016. At the end of 2017 is when everything went downhill again, until the 2019 hiatus finally came.

Yet even if it's just by judging her through her Instagram posts, she's gotten better from 2019 to 2021.

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Like many mentioned already, what I really miss is the connection she had with us. I wish she kept writing her thoughts on letters, post funny videos of her daily life with her kids and ofc I’d love if she kept up with the times and did IG lives and Q&A’s. I miss her being genuinely happy, carefree and without so many restrictions.


1998-2001 Britney was a very ambitious and hard working girl, full of energy and with the innocence of a kid in a way. Then after JT’s break up she became a different and less naive person. I feel she stopped believing in fairytales of true love and she dealt with it partying her life away. Then she met Kevin which was her rebound guy to build a family and a perfect life that never existed and had an expiration date. And then we all know how that went. She’s been through experiences that change a person forever, she’ll never be the same but she’s our queen. I’ll always root for her :crying4_britney_crying_stages_tears_sad: With hand choreo, hair flips with cheap wigs and extensions, an endless hiatus, chaotic dancing videos and all.

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15 hours ago, jonloch1 said:

yeh i do. sometime last year i watched Time Out with Britney Spears and Live and More! for the first time in years and years, and it really broke my heart because it was like watching a completely different person. Even watching interviews she did during ITZ era, shes so bubbly and enthuasistic and now, god knows if/when shes ever gunna perform or do new music again  

this. i started stanning in 2004 so i've always felt like i arrived too late, but even in 04 everything was so exciting. she was so into everything she did, the way she talked about her work was inspiring. during the late ITZ era she had a new attitude, like she truly didn't care about others opinions, she didn't want to be that nice perfect pop star she was during her previous eras, so she was so confident, sassy and carefree. i fell in love with her charisma instantly. 

she was never praised or loved by the gp tho, it was still hard to stan her. there were always rumors going around about her and she didn't have the recognition she deserved being the most powerful celebrity in the world, but with women in this industry it was like that back then. but yeah, stanning her was a magical experience for me and not as hard as 2007 and beyond.

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On 6/13/2021 at 11:34 PM, nthenwkiss said:

think of her as of covid-19

- literally everyone in the world knew about her, she'd be the topic of the day after an award ceremony performance.

- no one was sure of what she was, but everyone had opinions and "facts" about her.

- she'd be incredibly loved, incredibly hated, incredibly celebrated, incredibly criticized, she'd be everything - alpha and omega.

- it was common for people to mention her on a daily basis as if it was the weather; its cold today, btw did you see Britney's new video?

and so much more that i cant even put into words, but one thing is true tho' we didn't know any other britney, she wasn't primeney for us, she was just her.... and like everybody knew madonna and others were also big, but at the time, other celebs didn't even matter.

This is perfect!! I was in 8th grade when BOMT the single dropped and it was just insanity since then!! Britneymania is up there with Michael Jackson mania, she was just untouchable!! Still is, I miss her and want her to be free!

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Britney was on top of the world in her prime. It can’t even be described or compared in today’s standards. She was everywhere, everyone wanted to be her, she had a lot of haters over the years but really it was all just down to jealousy. Even other artists envied her success. 

It’s so sad to see how her life panned out and the mess she’s been in over the last decade. Her legacy has been really battered. There’s a reason why 17 years after her prime we’re all still here and that she’s still one of the most (if not the most) talked about celebrities ever.

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20 hours ago, HIM said:

You are right, it’s not the same. Nowadays you stream and you’re done. Listen to it every hour and so often but back then it was a whole *** experience!! You studied the album, track by track on the stereo, the booklet, the lyrics, it all was part of the fun. Having something physically doesn’t compare to having everything be a file among others in a computer/phone. 

Nowadays we are done with an album after a few days and most albums are DOA .. with so many songs being given away before the damn album even comes out.

 

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12 hours ago, Malibu.D.Luxx said:

I mean, I know this was already 5 years ago, but people were writing her off before that and saying Primeney was gone… I don’t believe that. I think she knows what she is doing, and when she is in control I feel like she will deliver. Like… this 5 year old performance gets me more excited than anything Beyoncé has done in the last 5 years 🤷🏼‍♀️And don’t even start on the pole dancing, I’m a little relieved she wasn’t the best pole dancer cause she’s literally not a ******** 😂

You definitely see glimpses of our girl during this performance 🥺 I know she’s still there. 
I got to see her for the first time for The Onyx Hotel tour and I loved it 😍 but I was obsessed since BOMT. It was such a fun time to experience- you have to consider the fact that the internet was nothing like it is today. Most people did not have it at home and went to the library or used school computers, and cell phones were also nothing like they are today. We got all our news primarily from MTV and magazines like J-14 or TigerBeat 😂 and stanning a celeb was a way bigger deal back in the day. If you were too young to remember the show Fanatic, look it up, to be a superfan you really had to do all the work😂… I can proudly say that there have been multiple times through my life that you could not even see the paint on my bedroom walls because i had so many Britney pix/posters ❤️❤️❤️ Ahh the good days. 

I agree I think that the talent is still there and I have always had faith in her that one day when this is all over, she'll WOW everyone. She definitely still has it in her to deliver an amazing performance.  You can see it in her rehearsal videos however I feel like when she's on stage her nerves take over and it doesn't help that she's normally heavily medicated when performing.  It would be really hard for anyone to still perform at 100-110% under such conditions.  Glory was step in the right direction and was her best era post the breakdown, even better than Circus which was too soon imo.

 

Lets not get too carried away now sis lololol.  Beyonce Coachella performance was an EVENT & instantly ICONIC she KILLED that performance, Beyonce is definitely ahead of the pack when it comes to performing!  Her 2016 VMAs performance was also EPIC too! Love her or hate her the girl delivers EVERY TIME she performs! She's easily the BEST performer of this generation EASILY!

 + Beyonce and Brit have always gotten along and have always supported one another and she has never shaded Britney before unlike say Christina, Gaga, Katy, P!nk or ***** *** JT.   Notice the 1st 3 girls music careers are in the toilet. 😂

 

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7 minutes ago, OCBoy1985 said:

I agree I think that the talent is still there and I have always had faith in her that one day when this is all over, she'll WOW everyone. She definitely still has it in her to deliver an amazing performance.  You can see it in her rehearsal videos however I feel like when she's on stage her nerves take over and it doesn't help that she's normally heavily medicated when performing.  It would be really hard for anyone to still perform at 100-110% under such conditions.  Glory was step in the right direction and was her best era post the breakdown, even better than Circus which was too soon imo.

 

Lets not get too carried away now sis lololol.  Beyonce Coachella performance was an EVENT & instantly ICONIC she KILLED that performance, Beyonce is definitely ahead of the pack when it comes to performing!  Her 2016 VMAs performance was also EPIC too! Love her or hate her the girl delivers EVERY TIME she performs! She's easily the BEST performer of this generation EASILY!

We don't have to dim another artist light to lift another artist up.

 

It’s just a personal opinion love ❤️ 💋, I didn’t tear her down- I am honestly just more impressed with this performance. It’s no secret that I’m not a big Beyoncé fan tho 🤷🏼‍♀️ I personally feel she is way overhyped. I love her in Destiny’s Child, her debut DIL and Some of B-Day. however, I definitely noticed a change after that and I just wasn’t a fan anymore… it’s funny that *that* is what you took from my post tho 😉 I see you honey bee 🐝  If you would like I would be happy to go over more specific reasons on why I personally don’t really care for her via DM, but I’m not trying to turn this into a Beyoncé love/hate thread. I believe there are plenty of those already if I’m not mistaken. xoxo 💋 

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I would say it was simultaneously incredible but also not as perfect as we romanticize it to be.  I was 10 years old when Baby One More Time came out and I had spent most of my life listening to my parents' favorite music, so she was the first modern pop star I paid a lot of attention to. I think the best way to describe it:

The Good: 

  • Britney was one-of-a-kind. It doesn't take much to see how Baby One More Time changed the music landscape. She had an indescribable star power and a distinct signature sound. And no dance was ever a "disappointment..." it was more like: "what kind of crazy impressive moves will be in her next video?" It seemed like there were no boundaries for what she could do/accomplish.
  • She was everywhere. Every update today feels like a blessing, but in the late 90s and early 2000s she was on every magazine cover and entertainment show. Love her or hate her, you knew when her next album dropped or when she performed at the VMAs with a snake.
  • Her output was not only top notch, but also VERY fast!  When you're 10, waiting for her 2nd album felt like forever, but looking back, she put out her first 3 albums between 1999-2001. And here we've been waiting for 5 years since Glory.
  • She promoted more than everyone. When her album was coming out, you could find her on TRL, Good Morning America, and she even got her own Network Specials (e.g. In the Zone and Out All Night on ABC). She put in the work.
  • I think the BIGGEST benefit to growing up with her is the evolution. It's impossible to experience how collectively shocked and enthralled we were as a society by her midriff, the Rolling Stone cover, the 2000 VMA performance, the catsuit, the snake, the kiss, the n*de diamond look in Toxic. We can look back on those performances, but unless you were watching in real time, it's impossible to recapture just how big a deal those were.  And most of the "shock" items circled around her career/artistic choices.  It's when it was all of her personal ordeals that it went from exciting to traumatic.

The Bad:

  • I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: being a Britney fan, even in her prime, could be very isolating. Guys could think she was hot, but had to like her music on the DL. Even girls were not considered "cool" if they liked Britney. You either had to be very confident in yourself to outwardly support her, or you had to downplay your enthusiasm.  A lot.  Which is what I suspect a lot of us did.  In some ways, this has changed a lot and it's almost easier to be a proud Britney fan now.
  • We took it all for granted. I guess we knew on some level it wouldn't last, but we came to *expect* incredible dance routines with each video and performance. She set the bar so high, it became the norm for her, and only looking back do I feel like I truly understand how impressive she was.
  • There was *never* a moment where she didn't have negative publicity. Early on, EVERYONE was talking about whether or not she had implants, then she got boycotted by crazy conservative organizations for her outfits, everyone was on her for lip-syncing, the AMA scolded her for her tanning bed on her tour bus... She was blamed for all the ills of the world.
  • Critics were ruthless. They (with a heavy dose of ***ism) would dump on everything she did, no matter how influential they acknowledge it has been since.  It was kind of a bummer to tune into the Grammys or even the VMAs, because as amazing as her performance was bound to be, you could almost always count on her losing.
  • The US charts also had a really hard time adapting to the evolving music industry, so her singles charting records don't reflect how popular her songs actually were.  Her team really valued album sales, so they would limit her physical single releases in the US so people would have to buy the whole album (which they did), but that meant that her songs had to rely on airplay only for Hot 100 charting purposes, and many just couldn't compete with songs that had physical sales too.
  • Every little setback felt huge.  I remember being devastated when she was caught smoking.  And there was a huge backlash during the Britney era (I think in Mexico City) where she was caught giving the finger to the paparazzi and they framed it like she was flipping off her fans.  I think many of us (unfairly) put her on this pedestal that made it impossible for her to live up to all of our expectations.  So even if we didn't pile on to the bad press, in some ways, it feels like we all contributed to this toxic culture that was not sustainable for her.  2007 was so rough, even if she did put out her best album.

But - obviously - being a fan of hers meant so much to a lot of us.  It's so sappy to say, but she felt like a best friend, especially to a lot of young closeted gays.  And I don't like to think of it as "her prime."  Careers definitely evolve and some artists may not be as present on the music charts as earlier in their careers, but her longevity has been incredible.  Even if she never released another album, we had almost 2 decades of incredible output.  Just to put that in perspective, the Beatles were only releasing music as a group from 1962-1970.

Yikes - sorry for all the babbling

life gt GIF

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It sucked, people were just awful. They consistently sl** shamed her, made fun of her for getting a breast augmentation (calling her fake and plastic), called her talentless because she lip synced, and yet she was at her peak of popularity; She was a guilty pleasure. I feel like people listened to her in secret or something. She was the biggest star on the planet, yet it was seen cool to insult her and uncool to be a fan of hers. She moved million of albums, yet got very little radio play. She was basically like what Justin Bieber was at his peak, a huge fanbase, but also made fun of relentlessly. There was never a fun or easy time to be a fan of Britney, it's always been weird.

 

She's had several 'peaks' in her career. Her stardom and album sales were 1999-2003. Single success was Circus and FF eras. Other peaks could be argued as well.

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The early 2000s are so nostalgic for people who grow up at that time, which I think really amplifies Britney’s significance in our lives. The world felt a lot lighter and more colorful, despite 9/11 and US involvement in the Middle East, it felt like being in a safe/carefree bubble of youthful delusion and Britney was at the center of it (for me at least).

It entailed watching TRL daily after school and VH1 top 20 video countdown on Saturday mornings just to see 3.5 minutes of whichever Britney video was in demand at the time. You  knew you could usually tune in towards the end of the program because she’d usually be in the top 5. I’d sometimes scour the TV guide channel desperately hoping to see an episode of Making the Video, MTV Diary, Behind the Music, Fabulous Life of… and Driven that featured Britney. Going into a Target or Walmart demanded that you check out the poster catalogue to see which photos of Britney they had. I also really enjoyed seeing her on the cover of magazines at the grocery store. She was always on the cover of tabloids and editorial mags like Glamour or Seventeen.

At times Britney was seen as super “un-cool” and I remember trying to balance my obsession with discretion haha… although I knew deep down most people had a handful of Britney songs that they loved.

And don’t get me started on her Pepsi commercials…. 200.gif?cid=31ad6aa7p742a8167sknq012ltie

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