Hit Me Britney One More Time

In deciding where I should start my 90s journey, I could only think of one person. The outrageous one and only pop princess of the 90s, Miss Britney Jean Spears.

I know she is an acquired taste and would not signify a defining moment in some people’s lives, but in mine, she does. When I think about the 90s, I think about Britney Spears. Even ask my family and friends. One of the first things they would say, besides her favorite color is pink, is that she LOVES Britney. I own all of her albums, even her greatest hits, and I have been to three of her concerts. I have some paraphernalia, including posters, a teddy bear, and yes, even a Britney Spears crew jacket that I wore one halloween. And I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I do own two Britney documentaries, her debut movie Crossroads and A Mother’s Gift, the novel written by Britney and her mother, Lynne. I have to admit, there was a time in my life when I was a closeted Britney fan, but now I will proudly shout it from the rooftops. You either love her or hate her, and I love her. I even remember the first time I heard “…Baby One More Time” playing on the radio. I was just coming home from some appointment with my mother, and kiss108 started playing a song by a fresh new young artist. I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard that chorus, “give me a sign, hit me baby one more time.” True, I was 11 and had no idea what she was talking about, but that was all it took for my obsession to start. I bought her album, listened to it all the way through and memorized every word to every song.

Oh those fuzzy pink scrunchies. I can’t even tell you how many times I have seen people dress up in that famous schoolgirl outfit. Here are a couple fun little facts for you. The woman who played the teacher in that video was Felicia Culotta, Britney’s assistant at the time and longtime friend of the family. Also, the reason why one of the locations of the video is a basketball court is because Britney used to play on the girls basketball team at her school. She felt really comfortable on the basketball court. Needless to say, that music video skyrocketed Britney into superstardom. I mean, come on, who didn’t love blasting that song and singing along? She was the “it” girl and was responsible for the come-back of teen bubblegum pop. What’s not to love about her? She was beautiful, young and had a fun energetic style. She became known for her amazing dance moves, crafted through years and years of training, and her famous well-toned stomach. In the 90s, Britney was the girl to beat. Eventually other pop stars came through, including Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson, but Britney remained on top with hits like “Sometimes,” “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” and ” Oops I Did It Again.”

Obviously everyone knows that Britney is no stranger to scandal. It all started with her transformation from teenybopper sweetheart to sex symbol.

I have to say, I was very surprised by this performance. Not only was this a different style of song for Britney, but the snake!? I actually remember hearing that that thing weighed A TON, and Britney was afraid to hold it on stage. Now, Britney pushed our buttons before, with her red hot catsuit in her “Oops I Did It Again” music video

and the sparkly nude number she wore during her 2000 MTV VMA performance,

but I think this 2001 performance topped them all. Just listen to the lyrics, “All you people look at me like I’m a little girl, well did you ever think it would be okay for me to step into this world.” This performance shocked people, and clearly separated her from her bubblegum image. A lot of people were upset at how she was portraying herself to her younger fans. I do agree that these people have a valid point. Even if Britney did not want to be a role model, she couldn’t help it. Kids everywhere were emulating her. However, I don’t think that Britney should have to hide who she is. Let’s be realistic, she was 20 years old. She wanted to show the world that she wasn’t a little kid anymore. While it may have shocked people, it definitely got their attention.

While I would love to go over everything that happened to Britney, I think everyone pretty much knows the story. She married Kevin Federline, a dancer and wannabe rapper, and had two lovely children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. They divorced, her history of mental illness came to light and her father gained complete control of her assets. In 2008, she released the album Circus, which brought her back on top. A lot of people are very judgmental, only see her mistakes, and are quick to call her names. However, I just want to remind everyone out there that she is only human. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has their issues, she just had to experience them in the limelight for everyone in the world to see. Mental illness is serious and not something to joke about, and I am offended when people make fun of her for that.

Love her or hate her, Britney Spears most definitely left her mark in 90s pop culture. Even though she is older and now a mom, she will always be the princess of pop.

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