The singer Britney Spears This Tuesday (24) launches her autobiography, entitled “The Women in Me”, which brings a series of memories and revelations – including some controversial ones – about the celebrity’s life.
“’The Woman in Me’ is a courageous and surprisingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith and hope. The book reveals for the first time her incredible journey – and the strength at the core of one of the greatest artists in pop music history,” says the book’s website.
In a post on Instagram, Britney says that the work is a way to resolve some issues from the past so that she “has a better future”. “I hope it shines a light on those who feel particularly lonely, in a situation of pain and confusion.”
What do we know about Britney Spears’ autobiography?
A week before being released, “The Woman in Me” has already reached the top of the pre-sale list on a shopping website.
“I’ve been so busy lately and there are so many hard things to read in the news about my book. Writing the book was so difficult”, confessed the star when talking about the book’s success.
- Abortion and Justin Timberlake
Among the themes revealed in the autobiography, the artist spoke about her relationship with fellow singer Justin Timberlake – with whom she was together from 1999 until 2002 – and confessed to having become pregnant with him, at the age of 19, and having an abortion. In the book, she says that she kept this secret for 20 years and that the artist was not happy with the news at the time.
“It was a surprise, but for me it was not a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always hoped that one day we would have a family together. That would be much sooner than I expected. But Justin was definitely not happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were too young,” she says in the memoir.
She goes on to say that she “would never have done it” if the decision “had been left up to me alone”, but she says that the former N Sync man was “certain that he didn’t want to be a father”. Spears calls the experience of having an abortion “one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”
- Vent about fame
In the work, the pop superstar also talks about her relationship with fame and that she envies people who can make popularity work for them.
“I envy people who can make fame work for them. My behavior was innocent – and it wasn’t acting. I didn’t know what I was doing. It felt like I was living on the edge of the abyss,” she says in one of the passages.
- Famous narration
Actress Michelle Williams will narrate parts of the audio edition of the biography. Britney Spears will be responsible for the introduction, while Williams will lend his voice to the rest of the work.
According to sources who spoke to TMZ, the singer found it too painful to retell sections about her family in her own voice, so editors looked for an alternative.
It is worth noting that only female celebrities were invited to the job and, although the publisher tried to get Reese Witherspoon to do the narration, the “Morning Show” actress was not available.
- Guardianship by father
“In June 2021, the entire world was listening to Britney Spears speak in open court. The impact of sharing her voice – her truth – was undeniable and changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. ‘The Woman in Me’ reveals for the first time her incredible journey – and the strength at the core of one of the greatest artists in pop music history,” states the work’s website.
Among the topics is also the star’s version of the 13 years of guardianship of her father, Jamie Spears, which restricted her personal and professional life. During this period, the “Free Britney” movement was born, in which fans of the pop princess protested against the control over the artist and asked for her independence.
The singer experienced intense drama from 2008 until November 2021, when the Court of California, in the United States, through judge Branda Penny, ordered the end of the legal guardianship that was with her father.
- Shaved hair in 2007
In 2007, Britney was facing a divorce from dancer Kevin Federline and daily harassment from the paparazzi. According to “People”, her decision to shave her hair – which, at the time, generated a series of jokes and memes – had to do with being “so watched” while she was growing up.
“I was looked at from top to bottom, people told me what they thought of my body, since I was a teenager. Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of reacting,” she says.
In the book, Spears also recalls the time she hit a photographer’s car with an umbrella, after shaving her head that year. She explains that the grief and her custody battle weighed heavily on her at the time.
“With my shaved head, everyone was afraid of me, even my mother. Spending those weeks without my children, I lost control again and again. I didn’t even know how to take care of myself,” she says.
- Snake performance at the 2001 VMAs
Another fact covered in the biography is her iconic performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. In the book she details the thoughts that went through her head when she performed with an albino Burmese python called Banana wrapped around her shoulders.
Although the star’s “plan” was to sing “I’m a Slave 4 U” and use the “snake as a prop,” Spears writes that it was “even scarier than it looked.” In particular, she describes the moment when the reptile got too close for comfort.
“The snake brought its head closer to my face, towards me, and began to hiss,” she says in the book, noting that the animal began to “wag” its tongue and “hiss” at her. During the performance, the artist tried to keep her head down because she felt like “it would kill her” if she “got his attention.”
- Time at “The Mickey Mouse Club”
Britney Spears also talks about her time on the talk show “The Mickey Mouse Club”, which had its final episode in March 1996.
He details his journey and the joy he found acting as a Mouseketeer alongside Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling. It was on the program that she also met Justin Timberlake, aged 11.
- “Robot child”
After the court granted her father and a lawyer control over her financial and personal affairs in 2008, the singer said she became “a kind of robot child” during the period.
“I had been so infantilized that I was losing pieces of what made me feel like myself. Guardianship stripped me of my femininity and turned me into a child. I became more of an entity than a person on stage. I have always felt music in my bones and in my blood; they stole it from me”, he reveals in the memoir
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
