Britney Spears Reveals the Reasoning of Her Iconic 2007 Head Shaving Incident
‘Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back.”
Britney Spears‘ excerpts from her memoir The Woman in Me has been the talk of the pop culture streets ahead of its October 24 release. Among the shocking revelations shared in her memoir, Spears opens up about her emotional and deeply personal experience of undergoing an abortion during her relationship with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. Moreover, she sheds light on the reasoning behind her iconic and controversial ‘07 shaved head moment, which became a staple reference in pop culture today.
In the memoir, Spears shared that the decision to shave her head was a deliberate and bold move, strategically employed to solidify the prevailing narrative of the pop star being ‘erratic and unstable.’ This incident, which occurred prior to her conservatorship the following year, was not merely an impulsive act but rather a calculated statement. In her memoir, Spears shares her perspective on this act of rebellion, explaining how it served as a powerful means to break free from the suffocating grip of constant scrutiny and judgment she had endured throughout her life, particularly in relation to her appearance.
“I’d been eyeballed so much growing up. I’d been looked up and down, had people telling me what they thought of my body since I was a teenager,” she writes in the memoir, shared by People Magazine. “Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back.”
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In her candid revelations, Spears further elaborates on the lack of autonomy she had when it came to regrowing her hair. She expresses frustration at not being given a choice in the matter, indicating that her personal preferences and desires were disregarded. This lack of agency extended beyond just regrowth, as Spears discloses that, subsequent to the court-ordered conservatorship in 2008, she was not permitted to maintain a shorter hairstyle. This restriction on her appearance highlights the control exerted over her during that time.
“Under the conservatorship, I was made to understand that those days were now over,” she writes. “I had to grow my hair out and get back into shape. I had to go to bed early and take whatever medication they told me to take.”
One thing we can definitely learn from Spears after her memoir is released is that she possesses an extraordinary level of resilience. Many of us could benefit from her fierce example in taking charge of our narrative and sharing our story, our way.
