I’ve been following Britney’s conservatorship from the start & it’s a real bummer to see people jokingly memefying ‘free Britney.’ She’s trapped in an abusive relationship with a man who controls nearly everything she does. That should be front and centre when we talk about this.

The thing about conservatorships is that the bar for being considered unfit is a lot lower than you think it is. It could happen to anyone. It could happen to you. And getting out of them is extremely difficult, cf Britney’s years-long fight to be released from hers.

This ties into a much larger constellation of issues around mental health and ‘fitness’ that strip people of their independence and are also the subject of frequent jokes and memes.

Just something to think about the next time you crack jokes like these. Someone in the room might have experienced it. Someone in the room might be at risk of it.