Well, this is quite the year for an explosive celeb memoir! The Woman in Me is Britney Spears in her own words. Her account of what has been going on in her life – behind the media headlines. Britney was quite famously released from a 13 year conservatorship in November 2021. Leaving her free to finally have her own say. And indeed she does.
Who is Britney Spears?
I listened to The Woman in Me on audiobook. While Britney does a quick intro, the book is actually narrated by five-time Oscar nominee, actress Michelle Williams. She is such an inspired choice as the level of depth she brings to Britney’s already very emotional story really makes this an addictive listen.
Like many celebrity memoirs, Britney starts with her childhood – in Kentwood, Louisiana. There’s interesting insight; her grandma killing herself, an abusive grandfather that in turn affected her father’s childhood, attributing to his alcoholism and way he treated Britney.
“I want my dad to stop drinking. I want my mom to stop yelling. I want everyone to be ok.”
These harsher realities are blended with sweet stories of her life growing up too. She talks about wanting people’s attention through singing and dancing from a young age and the fact she loved to hide (in hide & seek) while also wanted the spotlight on her when she sang – the contrasting parts of her personality.
Things I have learnt about Britney:
- She wasn’t a cheerleader at school but played basketball
- By 13 she was drinking with her mum and smoking with friends
- She smokes Virginia Slims
- Started driving at 13
- Performing on stage was the only time she felt in control of her life
- Justin Timberlake slept with one of All Saints while dating Britney
- She had an abortion when she was with Justin Timberlake – heavily implies it was not her choice, poor Britney
- She also talks about how shamed and hurt she felt when Justin released Cry Me A River
- Colin Farrell story! She fancied him, drove to his film set and had a crazy 2 week affair with him. Love that for her.
- She certainly had a vision of what she wanted – she was driven and determined from a young age
Her controversial conservatorship
From 2009 – 2021 Britney Spears was in a conservatorship, which meant that her father, Jamie Spears, had control over her entire life – from what she did and ate to her finances. As he, creepily, put it:
“I’m Britney Spears now,” he said.
These chapters are so hard to read (listen to) so to even begin to imagine what it was like to essentially be the most famous woman on earth and also a prisoner in your own life is such a mad juxtaposition. The fact this was done to her by her own family is the ultimate betrayal.
It was exceptionally difficult to hear her talk about 2007 and what led up to her conservatorship being put in place. Hearing her give context to moments I remember so well (cumulating in the infamous hair-shaving pictures), you realise how much of the fake pap stories you just believed about her. I didn’t question them at all.
Britney gave birth twice in a year (Sept 2005 & Sept 2006) to her sons (hormone level off the scale anyway) and hearing her recall how she was hounded just after she’d given birth honestly made me cry.
She talks about having postnatal depression and spiralling out of control in front of the paparazzi due to having no help or support from her so-called husband Kevin Federline or her family. They used her children as bargaining tools to make her agree to the conservatorship.
My freedom in exchange for naps with my children. It was a trade I was willing to make.
There was a small glimmer of goodness for Britney in 2007 – she released her highly acclaimed Blackout album, one of my personal favourites and, it turns out, Britney’s too.
A prisoner in the spotlight
Once the conservatorship comes into place, there is just so much to unpack. Britney makes the great point that she apparently was in no state to run her own life yet commanded and entertained an audience of thousands for four years during her Las Vegas residency (2014-2017). Her family treated her like this while happily getting rich off her.
From Britney’s description: her conservatorship was inhumane. She was gaslit by all around her to imply she was incompetent. Her father bugged her house, put her in rehab against her will that was basically like a prison. She was drugged, had 24/7 security with no freedom, she says she felt like she was being tortured.
As everything was falling apart for me, my mother was writing a memoir.
Hearing her describe how her time in hospital broke her spirit and how she genuinely thought her family were trying to kill her is truly shocking.
It’s Britney, Bitch
Britney recounts that it was a nurse in rehab who told her about the ‘Free Britney’ movement. Knowing she had that support gave her hope and spurred her on to push to end the conservatorship. When she thanks everyone who supported her, I just… 😭
Sometimes when you look at Britney’s Instagram, she posts things that don’t make sense but hearing her say that moving makes her feel alive after all her years of being trapped, the videos she posts feel freeing and genuine.
I left The Woman in Me with an overwhelming sense that we have all let Britney down. We all happily watched the circus of her life play out. It was so awful.
I’m so happy she now has control again and is taking the steps to build the life she wants and deserves. I appreciate that memoirs are always going to be biased but it has been so well documented what Britney has been through from the media, she deserves to tell her story, in her own words.
The Woman in Me is a truly fascinating insight into one of the most controversial celebrity stories in recent times. An essential read.
- Audiobook narrated by Michelle Williams
- Running time: 5h 31mins
- Get your copy of The Woman in Me here
- Published by Simon & Schuster
- 288 pages
- My rating:
Books on the 7:47 
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