Britney Spears has addressed her controversial Instagram post about how to “look thin” with a new, lengthy statement shared to her page.
If you missed it, Britney sparked tons of backlash on Tuesday when she reposted a quote that claimed the “only” way to “look thin” is to “hang out with fat people.”
“I found there was only one way to look thin: hang out with fat people,” read the message.
And in the caption alongside the quote, Britney also name-dropped Christina Aguilera’s dancers, claiming that she would’ve looked “extremely small” onstage had they been supporting her.
“I wish I could have chosen the nannies for my children … my dancers … I mean if I had Christina Aguilera’s dancers I would have looked extremely small,” she wrote.
“I mean why not talk about it?? Don’t you think my confidence would have been a bit better if I could choose where I lived, ate, whom I called on the phone, dated and who was on stage with me !!!” she questioned.
“It’s hard sometimes now I see how much of my womanhood was stripped away at that time and every person sat back and didn’t say a thing !!! Anyways… I will be here talking bout things people NEVER talked about,” she added.
Within moments of the post going live, Britney’s message was met with tons of critical comments calling her out for the “disgusting” message.
“You can speak YOUR truth without making an effort to offend someone,” one person wrote. “I’m so disappointed,” added another.
“What the fuck is this? Fatphobia? Why would you want to take up less space after what you’ve been through? Why would you want to put anyone down or make anyone feel small? Use your platform responsibly. Do better,” wrote one user, while another echoed: “This meme is disgusting! How dare you post this for millions of young girls to read.”
Going on to call the entire thing “toxic,” some people even revealed that they’d unfollowed Britney as a result of the post, while others noted that it could’ve been “harmful” to people who experience eating disorders.
“This is so toxic. Gotta pass on this one…yikes,” one person read. “Is the only thing that gives a woman confidence how thin she is? Sad,” said another.
And things only escalated further after it was reported that Christina herself had apparently unfollowed Britney, too.
Christina Aguilera has unfollowed Britney Spears after Spears body-shamed Aguilera and her dancers in a recent Instagram post.
Twitter: @PopCrave
Meanwhile, over on Twitter, fans were equally as critical of Britney’s post, labeling the message “extremely fatphobic.”
“ummm wtf Britney? this is extremely fatphobic, fat people aren’t your props to use to show off how skinny you are. this doesn’t sit right with me,” one person tweeted.
ummm wtf Britney? this is extremely fatphobic, fat people aren’t your props to use to show off how skinny you are. this doesn’t sit right with me. and ppl are definitely going to drag her for this too. https://t.co/UZjyjclkQb
Twitter: @rsernacne2
“just because she’s britney spears doesn’t mean the fatphobic post was at all okay,” wrote another.
Twitter: @evamtlmn
Well, after all the backlash, Britney — whose name ended up trending on Twitter — actually addressed the subject herself, claiming that she wasn’t “trying to be critical of anybody.”
“By no means was I being critical of Christina’s beautiful body, it is what it is !!! I flew to see her show once and the main thing I noticed was the difference of our people on stage !!!” she wrote in a separate Instagram post.
“By no means did I even mention Christina, look at my post !!! I was inspired by her show and she is a beautiful woman of power … Thank you @xtina for inspiring me!!!” she said.
Britney went on to explain that her post was a “projection” of her insecurities, which she said stemmed from her years spent living under her conservatorship — something that many fans had presumed.
Much of Britney’s life was tightly controlled by her father and a group of lawyers under the legal arrangement, which was in place from 2008 until November 2021.
“To be honest, I’m not trying to be critical of anybody. What I posted is a projection of the insecurities I deal with all the time as a result of how my parents and the media have treated me,” she wrote.
“I would never intentionally body shame anybody because I know what it feels like … I struggle with this because of how I feel about myself, not because I hate how anybody looks,” she continued.
“I feel like my family knew I was insecure and people were trying to purposefully feed into this insecurity by not letting me have a choice in the people who were on stage with me,” she said.
Britney concluded by expressing her gratitude towards her fans for standing by her as she comes to terms with her “new life” post-conservatorship. “I appreciate you all being understanding with me as I figure out this new life I’m living,” she wrote.
Shortly afterward, some Instagram users thanked Britney for addressing the backlash and explaining the reasoning behind her message.
“I understand, you’ve been through so much. Sometimes we lash out in the wrong way. Knowing this and admitting to it, so soon after everything you’ve been through is so kind,” one person wrote. “Love the transparency,” added another.
However, others maintained their frustration at the singer, not only urging her to delete the post, but also to apologize to Christina’s dancers.
“Ehhhhh nope, sorry. The quote is fat shaming, and so are the comments regarding Christina’s dancers. Love you to death, but just delete it and apologize instead of trying to talk your way out of it,” one user wrote.
“Perhaps an apology to the back up dancers… #justthoughtsaid another.