Is Britney Spears Being Sex Trafficked? A Look Into The Disturbing Claims
#FreeBritney
s_bukley / Shutterstock Britney Spears' recent Instagram posts have caused a lot of concern for both trusted professionals and close friends of the superstar. But none are more concerned about the fate of the "Baby One More Time" singer than her devoted fans.
So, naturally, more than a few have taken to their various social media platforms to speculate Spears' strange behavior. Some believe she's on drugs. Others believe she's mentally ill. And still, others believe something far, far sinister.
She was once caught wearing the same shirt for the 18th time on social media, and now, after debuting a new haircut on Instagram, fans are concerned about Spears' well-being more than ever before.
Many social media users have wild theories about what's going on with Britney Spears, and have been asking the following question for a while now:
Is Britney Spears being sex trafficked?
Let's take a look at the theories.
A TikTok user suggested Spears was being sex trafficked and presented her theory.
In the above video, a TikTok user suggested Britney Spears might be a victim of sex trafficking.
In the video, she surmises that Spears' tendency to post things on her Instagram like rose petals (which is symbolism from the film American Beauty, starring disgraced actor Kevin Spacey) was actually a "message" that she was being trafficked.
She also claimed that Spears was trying to "let what I'm trying to tell you be known," then zooms in on her eyes while claiming that it says "cry 911" indicating she wants help.
This conspiracy theory video was shared under the #FreeBritney hashtag.
The sex trafficking theory is also one shared by several users on Reddit and Twitter as well. Check out some of the comments below.
Rose McGowan came out in support of the #FreeBritney movement, which further upped social media users' support.
Not long after #FreeBritney became a viral trend on social media, actress Rose McGowan — who is, these days, more known for her activism than for her acting — took to Twitter to announce that, like Brittany Murphy before her, Britney Spears was also a victim of "Hollywood" and sex trafficking.
McGowan went on to warn her followers about the dangers of fame and told them that Hollywood "ate up" Murphy and will probably do the same to Spears.
However, she subsequently deleted her tweets, leading to more speculation that she was "silenced" by the powers that be, and only added fuel to the fire that Britney Spears was, indeed, a sex trafficking victim.
But McGowan's message was also shared on Instagram. You can check it out below.
There's been no concrete evidence to suggest that Spears was trafficked.
Outside of bizarre proclamations from people like Rose McGowan and — stranger still — Courtney Love, who claimed in 2009 that Spears was "molested by her father," there is no concrete evidence to prove, or even suggest, that Britney Spears is a victim of sex trafficking.
But there have been accusations of abuse against her father, Jamie Spears.
It would be a misrepresentation to say that Britney Spears had an idyllic childhood. Her father, Jamie Spears, was an alleged alcoholic and family members have all testified that he would "terrorize" the family.
Additionally, Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, recently filed a police report claiming that the elder Spears had committed "battery" on Sean Federline, his 13-year-old son with Spears.
So, while Britney Spears herself may not be a victim of trafficking, there's certainly cause for concern in her family background.
Despite past accusations, Spears' father was made her conservator — though he no longer holds that role.
Spears has been under a conservatorship for more than 12 years. Two years ago, Jamie Spears stepped down as a conservator, and Jodi Montgomery took his place.
Under the conservatorship, Britney Spears no longer has control over her financial decisions; she must make them alongside her conservator and all documents must be filed with the courts.
Under the conservatorship, Spears' estate is now worth nearly $60 million.
Can Spears ever come off of a conservatorship?
According to one expert, Britney Spears could come off of her conservatorship if a formal request was made for it to happen.
Of course, Spears' fans took matters into their own hands, taking a petition to the White House to get her off her conservatorship. The conservatorship was up for review in August, and unfortunately, a judge extended her current conservatorship through Feb. 2021.
The #FreeBritney movement is very popular.
The #FreeBritney movement started when Spears started her legal battle to gain more control of her conservatorship.
Many of Spears's fans have been petitioning online through social media posts and in-person protests to advocate for Spears to be released from her conservatorship.
Her father has allegedly tried many times to shut down the movement but he has not been able to and allegedly uses court sealing as a way to keep information out of the public.
Reportedly, Briteny Spears demanded more control of her conservatorship. Her attorney filed court documents on her behalf. She wants to make public parts of her case that are sealed. She also stated that the #FreeBritney movement was "not a conspiracy theory or a joke."
A lot of Spears's fans believe she is being held hostage by her father, who has control of her conservatorship.
Her attorney said, "Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret."
Spears also said that she had "no medical issues or sensitive issues with her children to protect."
Recently, Britney's sister Jamie Lynn Spears was named a trustee of Britney's trust.
Friend Paris Hilton also recently commented on the #FreeBritney movement saying:
"I saw her this summer. We've had dinners. I saw her in Malibu. I just love her so much and I just feel if you're an adult you should be able to live your life and not be controlled. And I think maybe that stems from me being controlled so much, so I can understand how that would feel.
And I can't imagine, right now, if that was still happening to me. And after working your whole life and working so hard. She's just this icon and I feel like she has no control over her life whatsoever and I don't think that's fair."
Hilton also said, "[Britney is] so sweet and so innocent and such a nice girl. We just talk about happy things — music, fashion, fun things. I never like to bring up negative things or make people feel uncomfortable, so I've never talked about it with her."
What is Project ROSE?
Britney Spears started her own social media photo project on Instagram called Project ROSE.
Recently, she uploaded photos of herself in the exact same top that was handmade in Morocco and with roses in her hair from a very long photoshoot she modeled in.
The 18th photo of the same top came with the caption, "'Just a Touch of Rose' ... the 18th post in this top!!!! You never know ... a rose could end up being a THORN in your side! Sorry ... thought it was funny!"
But in the comments, eagle-eyed fans noticed that if you google Project ROSE, a human trafficking website comes up.
In fact, on the site Project ROSE — which stands for "Reaching Out on Sexual Exploitation" is described as "a collaboration between the Phoenix Police Department and Arizona State University School of Social Work," and it's been deemed a very controversial program.
According to a site that protests the validity and constitutional aspect of Project ROSE:
"Twice a year, more than 100 police officers spend two days rounding up sex workers through street sweeps and online stings. Sex workers are handcuffed and taken to Bethany Bible Church. They are then assessed for eligibility to the 'arrest-diversion' program. Anyone with previous arrests for prostitution or in possession of drugs at the time of arrest is ineligible.
Eligible sex workers speak to a prosecutor who offers them the ultimatum of criminal charges and possible jail time or participation in a 'rehabilitation' program run by Catholic Charities. They are denied the right to speak to a defense attorney.
This program is ostensibly designed to 'rescue' victims/survivors of sexual exploitation, yet there is no form of victim identification at any point in the process."
Another commenter noticed that "THORN" — a word Britney capitalized in her Instagam post — is an organization to end human and child trafficking.
Does this mean that Britney is trying to send fans a subliminal message about herself? That's for you to decide.
Britney Spears debuted a new look on Instagram, prompting fans to ask if she was okay.
After Spears debuted a new hair cut on Instagram, her fans began to wonder if she was okay, or if it was another subliminal cry for help.
"Do you think she did this to herself?" one Instagram user questioned, while another wrote, "This is getting SCARY."
Jamie Spears recently spoke out about his daughter's conservatorship.
Spears, who has not spoken to his daughter since August, said:
"I love my daughter and I miss her very much. When a family member needs special care and protection, families need to step up, as I have done for the last 12-plus years, to safeguard, protect and continue to love Britney unconditionally.
I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests and those who seek to harm her or my family."
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in July 2020 and was updated with the latest information.