Our saviour complex is making the new Britney Spears story too uncomfortable to watch.

Once upon a time, the Britney Spears story was an easy one to tell.

From the 1990s she was the Princess of Pop, complete with catchy song lyrics, a stomach that spawned its own flattering headlines, record-breaking album sales, and the promise of becoming a big-screen leading lady following the release of Crossroads.

(And before you roll your eyes at the movie, please take a moment of respect to remember it was penned by Shonda Rhimes.)

Then she transitioned to an off-the-rails "train wreck", at least in the eyes of the tabloids and paparazzi that clocked her every move. Becoming better known for shaving her head in full view of the paparazzi, who she later attacked with an umbrella, before being placed under a conservatorship where every decision about her life was taken out of her hands. 

Then came the Free Britney movement, the Framing Britney Spears documentary, and a worldwide push from fans and celebrities alike, all pulling together in support of the Grammy winner until a court case resulted in the termination of the conservatorship.

This next phase of the Britney story has seen her marry her longtime partner Sam Asghari, but in reality, much of the coverage around her has been centred around her social media posts and the fan theories that are incessantly swirling around them. 

Listen to The Spill discuss the new Britney Spears story. Post continues below.

In the past year, the 41-year-old has posted a series of videos to her Instagram account which fans have labelled everything from 'troubling' to 'completely unhinged' accompanied by lengthy captions that can read as rushed and erratic.

The videos often show Britney dancing around her home, speaking in a seemingly erratic manner, telling stories in different accents, and sometimes appearing emotional and bursting into tears.

These posts, coupled with the fact that Britney regularly deletes her account and goes for months without being seen in public, have caused a series of fan theories to emerge, suggesting that Britney is being held captive, is missing or (in some of the wilder corners of the internet) has mysteriously died and then been replaced by a clone.

While it's fairly safe to say that we can probably take that last theory off the table, there's no denying that the concern and ridicule surrounding Britney Spears' behavior has spilled away from unverified TikTok accounts and the darker corners of Reddit, with news outlets continuously reporting on her 'bizarre' behaviour. 

And in the moments when her Instagram comments are open, a quick troll through them will show that for every hateful comment calling her crazy or dangerous, there's another one begging her to get help or questioning her mental state.

Aside from the ridicule, the public's concern and constant need to dissect Britney's behaviour is hinged on two ideas.

The first is that it would be naïve to believe that growing up in the spotlight the way Britney did, after kicking off her career in the entertainment industry at the age of eight, would not have an ongoing impact on her mental health as an adult.

Coupled with the fact that she has had many public falling outs with her estranged family, and states that she was drugged, mistreated and forced into situations against her will during the many years of her conservatorship, also gives people cause to wonder if she's receiving the help she needs following so many years of trauma.

Yet the other side of the new Britney story remains largely unspoken because, with this chapter of her story, we don't see a definitive end in sight.

Up until this point, whether she was being labelled as a hero or a villain, there was always a clear public ruling around who we had decided Britney Spears was. 

The strongest moment of the public consensus was fueled by the Free Britney movement and not just because it was clear some form of mistreatment was taking place.

In this case, it allowed people to reclaim their favourite pop star and lean into a new narrative, one that felt as if it had been ripped directly from the plot of a movie. 

Or a book of fairytales.

For many, it felt like a powerful call to arms to cast Britney as the ultimate damsel in distress, the misunderstood princess being held captive in the tower by the evil men who wished her nothing but harm. 

It was an easy hashtag to jump on, and more so, for the many fans who showed support and even filled the streets clutching signs championing Britney, there was also the intoxicating feeling of seeing real change stem from their actions.

When news broke that the conservatorship had been lifted there were literal cries of joy in the streets outside the courthouse, with fans feeling like they had finally achieved a happy ending.

In the fan version of this fairy tale, Brtiney Spears would have emerged as a new person, but one who still bore a strong resemblance to her early days as a musical superstar. 

A woman who could speak in acceptable soundbites, who appeared perfectly groomed in the public eye, and one who played into the persona of who fans believed Britney Spears really was, away from her captors.

But what came next didn't play out like the last chapter in a storybook. 

Instead, it appears we are witnessing someone publicly recover from trauma, and the reality of that is not pretty or enticing to watch.  

As a society, we are still not ready to deal with the less curated images of mental health struggles. 

It's a palatable idea when it comes via a celebrity discussing it next to a glossy series of magazine images, but less so when it's Britney Spears talking erratically and crying alone in her home. With the extra sins of unbrushed hair and casual clothes making her look like a less desirable celebrity. 

For fans, this is also not a problem they can fix, a cause they can champion, or an issue they can tackle by lining the streets with signs and cheers. For those missing the high of feeling like a saviour to a woman in trouble, they no longer know where to take their cause.

This recently manifested in fans fearing for Britney's safety and calling police to her home. With a police spokesperson then telling to Page Six, "I can confirm that we did get calls into our dispatch, and essentially, I can confirm that we don’t believe that Britney Spears is in any kind of harm or any kind of danger." 

This week, in another video that caused concern and was labelled by tabloids as 'bizarre' Britney, speaking in a British accent, asked fans not to call the police for her again, as she danced around her home in a dress she had made. 

Adding to the many other times she has publicly stated that there is no need for concern and asking the public to stop speculating about her life and health.

The hard truth is that we don't know the state of Britney's mental health or the situation she is living in. 

All we can know for sure is that the way we're watching her life unfold serves us, not her.

Whether you are watching because you enjoy a grim spectacle, or you feel remorse for unfairly judging her during those heightened paparazzi days or perhaps your internalised saviour complex won't allow you to rest when you feel like the princess is still trapped in the tower.

Or maybe the true reason why we don't know what to do with this next chapter of the Britney Spears story is that it's an unwelcome reminder that after each immense life change or "fix" takes place, the hard and messy work begins. 

Laura Brodnik is Mamamia's Head of Entertainment and host of The Spill podcast. You can follow her on Instagram here.

Feature image: Getty.

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