The support of fans and the restraint of paparazzi show how attitudes to celebrity distress have changed
When Britney Spears shaved her head and took an umbrella to a paparazzo’s car in 2007, the events of a night turned into a circus-like spectacle gobbled up by a bloodthirsty audience. When, a few months later, she was taken into psychiatric care, photographers jostled and pushed around the ambulance, trying to snatch an image of the singer, in obvious distress, adding the flashes of their cameras to the flashing lights of the emergency vehicle. An episode of South Park that was broadcast in 2008, Britney’s New Look, offered a surprisingly furious satirical riposte: famous young women become sacrifices for a baying crowd, who nitpick at every flaw, literally hounding their target to death.
What a difference a decade can make. Last week, Spears posted a quote on her Instagram page – “Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body, spirit” – along with a caption that read: “We all need to take time for a little ‘me time’”, followed by a smiley face. It was timed to coincide with reports that she had checked herself into a mental health facility for 30 days. This news has been unaccompanied by frenzy or hysteria. Instead, though widely reported and unpicked, it has been treated with something approaching respect and certainly a wider understanding of the situation. The messages of love and support posted by fans seem supportive and empathetic; the tabloid reports relatively muted and factual.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2I3vIuy
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