Throwback Thursday: Britney Spears Edition

Throwback Thursday: Britney Spears Edition

If there ever was a pop star who embodied the term “America’s sweetheart,” it would be Britney Jean Spears.

Born today in 1981, Ms. Spears defined an era in popular music and exploded onto the scene in with a level of success that was unprecedented in its immediacy — her debut album, …Baby One More Time (1998), sold seven million copies worldwide with seven weeks of its release. The album would go on to sell over 32 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the best-selling debut album in history.

…Baby One More Time was followed by Oops! I Did It Again (2000), which sold over 1.3 million copies in its opening week in the US alone — a record for a female artist at the time. Her sophomore set would go on to sell 24 million copies worldwide, placing it on the all-time list like its predecessor. The album was followed by 2001’s Britney, which saw the star delve deeper into R&B-ish sounds than she did on previous albums.

As the years pass, there will be more albums and more hits, and Britney would cement her position as an all-time great. However, the commercial success is just one part of the story — we cannot talk about Britney’s life and career without talking about the media’s obsession with her. She was stalked by paparazzi for years — we could argue till today — and every part of her private life was headline news. The infamous head-shaving incident of 2007 is stuff of pop culture legend, as is the involuntary mental health evaluation of 2008. Those incidents would be used as the basis for the 13-year conservatorship that would prevent Britney from having any control of her affairs or even her body. The conservatorship was only terminated a few weeks ago.

With Britney finally free and newly engaged, her 40th birthday is sure to be her best one in years. Join me in celebrating a true icon.