Over the weekend, Britney Spears quipped that she’ll see us all in hell ahead of her book launch.
Monday night, those of us who preordered received our e-deliveries. And in bookstores, The Woman In Me is flying off of the shelves.
Britney had decades of ground to cover. Enough to fill an entire memoir, even.
At one point, she recalls what led to a memorably disastrous performance in 2007. Right before she went on, she had an unwanted run-in with her ex, Justin Timberlake.
2007 was not Britney Spears’ year. Her lows during that time might have just been a rough patch or a series of public embarrassments.
Instead, they set the stage for her awful father to rob her of her basic human rights until late 2021.
One of those less-than-proud public moments came at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. But not without a lot of cause.
“It had been a while since I’d seen him,” Britney reflects in The Woman In Me.
In the same memoir, she mentions that he had broken up with her years earlier with a two-word text message.
“Everything was going great in his world,” Britney describes. “He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger.”
It may be hard to imagine someone feeling particularly impressed by JT, but that’s how Britney felt at the time.
“I was having a panic attack,” she writes. “I hadn’t rehearsed enough.”
Britney continues: “I hated the way I looked. I knew it was going to be bad.”
For context, this was after months of sensational headlines about her life.
Britney and Kevin Federline were no longer together. Their divorce was, of course, big news, even though only one of them was legitimately famous.
Additionally, Britney’s decision to shave her head and free herself from her team’s constant obsession with her hair was still fresh on people’s minds. At the time, very few understood why she’d taken that step. Many bought the idea that she was simply “crazy.”
At the time, Britney did not want to take the stage to perform “Gimme More” because “nothing was going right” behind the scenes.
“There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions,” she recalls in her memoir.
“I hadn’t slept the night before,” Britney notes. “I was dizzy.”
“It was less than a year since I’d had my second baby in two years,” Britney points out.
She adds: “But everyone was acting like my not having six-pack abs was offensive.” If you remember 2007, then you know exactly how vile people could be about the human body.
Britney writes that “I couldn’t believe I was going to have to go out onstage feeling the way I felt.”
“I went out there and did the best I could at that moment in time, which — yes, granted — was far from my best at other times,” Britney acknowledges in her book.
“I could see myself on video throughout the auditorium while I performed,” she recalls. “It was like looking at myself in a fun-house mirror.”
And one part of the indignity of it all was that Justin Timberlake was having a great night.
Believe it or not, JT took home Male Artist of the Year at that year’s VMAs. Not sure that I’ve ever voluntarily listened to one of his songs, so … that’s a choice.
“Justin glided down the runway,” Britney writes. “He was flirting with girls in the audience, including one who turned around and arched her back, shaking her breasts as he sang to her.”
That was not a good time for her. And the unhinged public reactions to her every fumble made things so much worse.