In her highly anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, Britney Spears revisits the tumultuous period in 2007 that led to a public breakdown, including the infamous incident where she shaved her head and struck a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella.
The pop icon sheds light on the grief and personal struggles she endured during that time, which included the loss of her aunt and a custody battle.
Britney Spears reveals that she was “out of my mind with grief” following the death of her aunt, Sandra Bridges Covington, who passed away from ovarian cancer in January 2007.
Simultaneously, she was embroiled in a legal dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over custody of their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, now 18 and 17.
“With my head shaved, everyone was scared of me, even my mom,” Spears writes, recounting the emotional toll of being separated from her children. She adds, “I didn’t even really know how to take care of myself,” describing the weeks as a period of repeated emotional breakdowns.
Triggers Behind Britney Spears’ Breakdown
The Toxic singer candidly admits that postpartum depression, her husband’s abandonment, the loss of her aunt, and relentless paparazzi pressure left her feeling overwhelmed. “I’d begin to think in some ways like a child,” she writes, reflecting on the toll these factors took on her mental health.
In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship that gave her father, Jamie Spears, and a lawyer control over her personal and financial affairs. She recounts in her memoir how those overseeing her life dictated aspects of her appearance and behavior, prohibiting her from keeping her shaved head, pushing fitness routines, enforcing early bedtimes, and prescribing various medications.
The conservatorship persisted until September 2021, when Spears appealed to the court to end it. Her father was suspended as conservator, and the legal arrangement was officially terminated two months later.
How Britney Spears Reclaimed Control
Since regaining her autonomy, Spears has been focused on reclaiming control over her life. Reflecting on the conservatorship, she writes, “I didn’t deserve what my family did to me,” expressing her feelings of betrayal and determination to move forward on her own terms.
The Woman in Me provides a deeply personal look at Britney Spears’ journey, offering insight into the challenges and resilience of the pop icon.
