Mallory Brown May 3rd 2017 Mrs. Holan 3B Britney Spears ...Oops! She did it again. Britney Jean Spears, famous pop icon singer, never fails to win the public’s heart. Or does she? For the past 18 years, Britney has overflowed the media with her hot music almost as much as her poor life choices. Through the years it’s been hard to determine whether she is an idol to the youth, or the kind of woman we worry about our daughters growing to be. Regardless of the decisions Spears has made in her past, she brought herself back together to finally become the daughter, sister, friend, and most importantly, the mother that she needed to be all along. Britney had far from an easy life, and overcame battles that most people do not, and for that she deserves a roaring applause (which she is no stranger to). Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2nd, 1981, in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. Her family says she has loved performing since the age of 7 or 8. “Ever since I was 7 or 8 years old, my mom would have company over, and I was always performing for everybody in front of the TV…” says Spears. She auditioned for the All-New Mickey Mouse Club. She did not get the part the first time around, however, the second time she auditioned she got the part alongside Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Keri Russell. “We had an amazing, amazing time; we got to sing and dance and do everything” Spears explained to Hollywood Reporter. After the show cancelled in 1995, she landed a record deal with Jive Records and began her music career. Late 1998 she released her first single, “...Baby One More Time.” Her first album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts in the same year. She won many awards for this album which gave her a huge kick-start on her career as a singer. She later released “...Oops! I did it again” which sold 1 million copies in its first week. This was only the start of Britney’s fame, which sprouted almost overnight. Britney went on to release album after album, and everyone seemed to love them all. She was nicknamed a “Pop Princess” and was idolized by many people. Her musical career boomed and she was always at the top of the charts. “Six of her first seven albums reached No. 1 on the ‘billboard’ 200.” Her later songs became a little bit less popular, though she continued to make new music and was determined to stay on the charts. As time went on she decided to take a 6 month break from the music industry, though the press would not leave her alone, including her 4-year relationship with Justin Timberlake, who of which she admitted she lost her virginity to. Britney Spears no longer lived a private life. The paparazzi snapped her every move, and put her business front page of every magazine. “Britney could also be seen smoking and drinking to excess on wild nights out and famously breaking down in tears while being interviewed by Diane Sawyer about her parents (who were recently divorced) and her bitter split from Timberlake. ”(“Britney Spears - Biography”) However she seemed to get herself back together for a new album in 2003 featuring Madonna, who Spears said was her idol. Though Britney knew the famous life wouldn’t be all the glory in the world, she had no idea what the media would make of her in these next few years. The famous 2007 Britney meltdown changed the name of Britney Spears forever. It all started when she married one of her backup dancers, Kevin Federline, in 2004. They had 2 sons together, named Sean Preston, and Jayden James. 2 months after the birth of her second child, Spears filed for divorce. From this point on, her life took a dramatic turn. Britney began doing hard street drugs and drank irresponsibly quite frequently. Through the process of her divorce, her ex-husband, Kevin, ordered that he receive full custody of their sons, due to Britney’s drug and alcohol abuse. Britney knew that the court could trace drugs through her hair follicles, so she shaved her head in result that nobody could prove she had been consuming any types of illegal drugs. “Britney Spears didn’t shave her head in a fit of rage — she did it so there would be no way to trace her drug use, a lawyer for her former manager claimed in court.”(Britney Spears shaved her hair off in 2007 to cover up drug use: ex-aide | New York Post) This was a traumatic time for Britney, as the media found such pleasure in plastering her bald head all over the place. This meltdown went viral instantly and put a damper on Britney’s musical career. “These are not actions of a sober or sane Britney. She is the last person you would expect to shave her head as a fashion statement. ”(“Britney Spears acting crazy, shaves her head bald, gets a tattoo (or two) and goes to the hospital?”) Britney was told she was going to lose custody of her 2 sons until the court decided she was fit to be a mother again. Christmas of 2007 she wasn’t allowed to see her boys and sat in her mansion in Malibu next to the christmas tree bawling and suicidal. She opened all her boy’s’ presents on her own and thought that if she didn’t have her sons soon she had no reason to live. As the years of struggling went on, Britney finally regained partial custody when she completed the list of things to do ordered by the court, like seeing a drug counselor for a year, and many other obligations to help herself become more mentally stable and a better mother. She got 50/50 custody of her sons and overall found herself again. Britney Spears now primarily has custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. She is happier than she’s ever been, she tells People Magazine 2012. Her most recent released album was in 2015, just 2 years ago. Britney is on good terms with her ex husband, the boy's’ father. They work together accordingly and fairly to see the boys. Even with both of their busy work schedules they still manage to make time for both parents to see the boys evenly. She is completely family-oriented and devotes her life to yoga, her work, and most importantly her boys. Though there is no talk yet about Britney coming out with any new music, she is still a pop icon and will forever go down in history for her music. She is still a hot topic in the media and she continues to be a role model for those of us who watched what she went through and what she’s become out of it. Current to this day she can be seen all over social media doing fun tricks in the pool, eating out in Hawaii, and going on school field trips all with her sons. She is a fitness queen, and still loves to dance actively to this day. She wowed us with her music and wowed us with her bald head, but she got herself under control to become a better person for her fans, herself, and her 2 boys. Britney has come through so much in her life to be where she is today. Many people don’t get out of what she did. Though it took her a few years, she turned her life around for her sons and I admire that. It is never easy to go through unhealthy addictions, especially when the entire world knows about it. She did not handle the press in the best way possible every time, but those of us who aren’t followed by paparazzi cannot judge the actions made by her. People who are in a dark place always have a chance to turn themselves around. The trials Britney Spears faced turned her into the woman she is today. The terrible events in your life will in fact make you “stronger.”