Defending Britney Spears

I have to admit that I didn't see Britney Spears' much maligned performance on Sunday night, because I didn't watch the VMA's. I'm not so much into that world. I stopped, long ago, caring about competition and glitz and glamour--in fact, I don't recall ever caring. That said, I couldn't help finding out about the lousy reviews Britney's Sunday performance received. I'd pretty much have to be in a coma to miss that news, as it's been splattered all over the internet. In fact, even if in a coma, I'd probably hear the doctors and nurses around me talking about it, so it would still seep into my subconscious. There ain't no avoiding it.

So I figure that I might as well chime in on the story, along with everyone else. Here's my take:

I'll admit that I've never been a big fan of La Spears. When I saw her in her first video, all those years ago, the Catholic schoolgirl one, I thought "Wow, here's a pedophile's wet dream and a little girl whose parents don't care." That was the last Britney video I've ever seen. But over the years, it's been impossible to miss the outfits (or lack thereof), the snakes and the scandals. I used to joyfully participate in the Britney-bashing (yes, it is possible to get sucked into that mob mindset even when one likes to consider oneself on the spiritual path ... I ain't proud of it, but I ain't gonna deny that I did it.)

But now I feel true compassion for the tortured being that Britney Spears has become because ... damn.

The reviews of her performance talk about how low energy she is, how fat she is, and how off her lip-synching is. Doesn't anyone else see that it's not that she sucks, it's that her heart just isn't in it anymore? Maybe she doesn't even know that yet, but the realization is coming.

I would be remiss in my Shape Shifting duties if I didn't sidetrack here for a moment to comment on the "fat" reviews. To those who say she's too fat, I say "Bite me." How dare you? While she certainly doesn't have her teenaged bod anymore, there is nothing at all wrong with the body she has. She's had two children and looks amazing. All the working out and starving have helped to sculpt her into a beautiful, grown woman's shape and it's STILL not good enough for you? Wow!

While I'm sure that those of you who call her fat have every right to do so because of your own buffed and sculpted bods (sense the sarcasm here?), many of us realize that a human body only looks like a teenager that hasn't had kids when it'sa teenager who hasn't had kids. So, yeah. Bite me.

But I digress...

If you recall, Britney was into the Kaballah for a while--thanks to her spiritual mentor, Madonna. One wonders why on earth that mix didn't work out (yep, that's more sarcasm), but at least the girl has shown some interest in finding out who she really is, at a soul level. And, apparently, who she is isn't that girl in the plaid skirt and pigtails, enticing old men into taking themselves in hand. But her entire career and public identity is locked into that. The more her ego pushes her into trying to fit back into that mold, the less sane she acts, and the more her performances suffer.

I would LOVE to see Britney Spears just say, "Forget this. I've got more money than Bill Gates, and I don't need to be your performing monkey or your underaged sex toy anymore." I'd love to see her really find herself, get her self together and her soul connected, and then show THAT to the world.

Now THAT would be a role model that I wouldn't mind the young girls in my family basing their lives upon.

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