Highlights
- Britney Spears faced controversy throughout her career, including recent attention on her Instagram posts. One post was misinterpreted as shading Selena Gomez, but Spears clarified there were no bad feelings.
- Another post showing Spears dancing with prop knives caused uproar, with rumors of a police welfare check. However, Spears explained the knives were fake and named the prop shop where she got them.
- Spears released a “new” single with will.i.am titled “Mind Your Business,” but it was actually an unreleased song from years ago. The song’s message remains relevant in today’s digital age.
Britney Spears is no stranger to controversy. From the beginning of her music career in 1998, she has been judged and scrutinized by the public. From the schoolgirl outfit in her first video to her many run-ins with the paparazzi, Spears has long been the center of media attention.
Since the end of her 13-year-long conservatorship in 2021, Spears’ Instagram posts have also been getting a lot of attention. One post went viral after people assumed Spears was shading Selena Gomez. Spears herself took to the platform to clear things up.
She had to clear things up again when she posted a video of herself dancing with prop knives. After the public believed they were real, a police welfare check was rumored to have taken place at Spears’ home.
As it turns out, the prop shop where Spears purchased the knives experienced an unexpected boost in sales as a result.
One Of Britney’s Instagram Posts Went Viral After People Wrongly Interpreted It As Shade Towards Selena Gomez
In 2022, Spears posted a caption on her Instagram which many interpreted to be about Selena Gomez. Many thought Spears was referencing a speech Gomez gave at the 2016 American Music Awards where she encouraged women not to show as much skin on Instagram.
“Don’t you just love the nerve of women who stand firmly getting awards and speak on their beliefs about not showing their bodies on instagram ???!!!!!” Spears wrote in a since-deleted caption. “They say ‘This is NOT something I would do’ yet those women are the very ones who get 4 million dollar budget videos made about sucking and licking on homemade ice cream!!!!”
People speculated that Spears was also referencing Gomez’s video for the song “Ice Cream” with Blackpink.
Spears later clarified that she had no bad feelings toward Gomez.
“What I said had nothing to do with anyone specific at all,” Spears wrote, “it was clearly a subject in hand all women have had to deal with … look I go way back with music !!! I honestly referencing my days when I was younger when I got discriminated against harshly … men in interviews discussing my boobs on live TV or showing my midriff and skin !!!”
She then explained the “ice cream” comment was a reference to Kelis’ 2004 video for her hit “Milkshake.”
Britney’s Viral Knife Video On Instagram Unknowingly Saved A Failing Prop Shop From Financial Ruin
In 2023, Spears went viral on Instagram again. This time it was due to a video she uploaded which featured the singer dancing with prop knives.
“I started playing in the kitchen with knives today,” Spears wrote in the caption. “Don’t worry they are NOT real knives.”
The video sparked outcry on social media, with many not buying Spears’ account of the knives being fake. Many pointed to the part of the video where Spears clapped the knives together, saying it sounded like real knives.
A police welfare check was even rumored to have taken place. Police were rumored to have arrived at Spears home where they spoke to one of her employees. According to TMZ, the authorities never spoke to Spears and left once they determined she wasn’t a threat to herself or others.
This prompted Spears to post a follow-up message on her Instagram. She once again clarified they weren’t real knives and named the prop shop where she got the items.
“I know I spooked everyone with the last post, but these are fake knives that my team rented from Hand Prop shop in LA,” Spears wrote. “These are not real knives. No one needs to worry or call the police.”
Spears said that she was inspired by Shakira’s performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.
“I’m trying to imitate one of my favorite performers Shakira … a performance I was inspired by !!! Cheers to us bad girls who aren’t afraid to push boundaries and take risks,” Spears added.
The manager of the Hand Prop Room told TMZ that Spears’ video actually helped his business a lot. According to the manager, who asked not to be named, rentals have gone up 50% and they mostly include knives.
The manager added that the shop has been losing major business since the Writer’s Guild of America strike began in May.
In July 2023, Spears and will.i.am released a new single titled “Mind Your Business.” The track comes a decade after their previous collaborations, 2011’s “Big Fat Bass” and 2012’s “Scream and Shout.” The two also collaborated on Spears’ 2013 album “Britney Jean.”
However, as Spears recently revealed to Vogue, the song isn’t exactly “new.” In fact, it’s an unreleased song from the archives.
“Will is an incredible artist and partner,” Spears said. “We worked on this song years ago, and it was time re-produce it and share it with my incredible fans.”
will.i.am said he believed the song’s message is just as relevant today as it was when they first recorded it.
“Every single person, famous and not, has their privacy invaded in some shape or form in this digital age,” he said. “It’s a sentiment for the times, so we should be more humane to each other, respect and have empathy for each other, and be thankful for what people choose to share publicly. If people don’t want to share, we need to respect their right not to share, and to have a private life.”
Source: NewsFinale
