Withdrawal symptoms: Britney Spears?! :: By Illusion, 2nd Dec 2002

You're all probably wondering what an all-American singer like Britney Spears has to do anime/manga or even Japan. Well, to tell you the truth, she has nothing to do with Japan, except for the fact that's she toured there, and even less to do with anime/manga. So why am I writing about her? Well, look for the title of this column for an idea. Yes, I'm having withdrawal symptoms from the lack of anime I'm experiencing right now. Blame it on the flaming Post Office, who have repeatedly lost (or more likely, stolen) my packages, and thus deprived me of anime. They, however, have given me a bitter attitude and a more cynical nature, so you can all say thanks to them if I am ever rude to you. Getting back to the point of this article, I'm one of those people who need a hobby, or else I will be too bored. I need something I can collect, something I can obsess over. And it just so happens that in this current situation, where I don't have any new anime, manga or bishounen to drool over, where whenever I even think about the Post Office, I see red, I have latched back onto my past obsession with Britney Spears. It started when I was feeling so down and bored, that I was looking through all of my files on my disks, and I came across a old fanfic I wrote of her (yes, I know I'm so sad). It was never finished, so I decided to continue with it for while and before I knew it, I felt my old obsession, which had laid happily dormant for years now, for her surfacing again. See how powerful stories are? Anyway, something (it was probably most likely to be extreme boredom) possessed me to go through my old teen magazines, and I happened to find in one issue a transcript of a prank phone call Nick Carter made to Britney and Justin Timberlake during a radio show of his. I still found it hilarious, and I vaguely remembered reading it a long time and wanting to find the actual audio file of that, but my l33t searching skills weren't properly developed then. (^_~). So, I went in search of it a few days ago, and wow, I actually found it. Listening to it was even more satisfying than reading the transcript, and then hearing Britney's voice again furthered triggered my past adoration of her, and that's why I am here, doing something ridiculous like writing a column about Britney Spears for my anime site on Britney's birthday.

Now, I've always liked Britney's voice and when she first came out, I really liked her as well. Her image was innocent, clean and modest. Her statement about not wanting to have sex until marriage generated in me so much respect for her, as I am someone who believes in that as well. But then, she completely blew that pledge by the way she dressed and acted. She went from wearing tube tops and mini-skirts to dresses that were so see-through and had cuts so low, it was as if she was wearing a piece of cloth. She needs to realize that a lot of people already love her for everything she is, and not simply for her body. Her music videos and songs further enforce her changing image. Her ...Baby one more time video just plain rocked, as did all of her videos from her first album. It is easy to see that videos from her second album progressed to a far more sexual level and were thus less innocent. Okay, Stronger and Lucky were alright, but what the hell was going on in Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know?! The song itself is quite beautiful, but the video features a very scantily-clad Britney rubbing against and kissing a bare-chested guy 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time she's up on a tree, looking just as sexual. Don't get me wrong, Britney looks gorgeous as usual and I'm sure many guys would have gone nuts at that clip, but what does this say about her and her previous statement? It seems rather contradictory to me. And her third album...with songs like Overprotected and I'm a Slave 4 U, do I really need to say anything? Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman is the theme for her movie, Crossroads, which, with all due respect to Britney, is a zero-substance chick flick that people will only see for her.

What else can I say? Despite the fact that I'm not really into anything but Japanese music/anime/manga anymore, I guess a little part of me will always remain a fan of hers, just like all of my other past hobbies/obsessions have a special place in my heart. I will probably always raise my ears a little when something is said about her, and news about her will probably always catch my eye. She was probably my favorite non-Japanese singer ever, and maybe that's why it wasn't that hard for me slip back into my love for her when my anime fangirl-ness was low. I still am happy for her success, and I still like her voice but I really wish she could have been strong enough not to fall into the trap of compromising her beliefs for stardom, like countless other singers/actors have done. Because I'm sure her real fans would have stuck by her and supported her even if she hadn't. And she does have a lot of real fans. I was one of them. Am I still one of them? I'm not sure, let me get out of this anime depression I'm in right now and I'll be able to tell you with a clearer mind. Because I love Japan/anime/manga beyond belief, and the fact the Post Office has stolen my stuff hurts me more than words can tell. And in hurt, people tend to do and say things they wouldn't normally. So in conclusion, I was a very big fan of Britney, I still like Britney, but I don't really like the image she's putting out now, and I think her Pepsi ad is incredibly cool. ^_~

I can't believe I just sat there and wrote this while listening to Britney's first album. I really am so sad. I need to get a life. But first, I need the freakin' Post Office to give me my stuff!!!!!! I want to be able to look back on this column and laugh at it without hate for the Post Office. I don't want to be a bitter and cynical person. I just want my stuff and thus my hobby to be revived. And who knows? Britney may still be part of my hobby life now. Maybe the fact that I got into her so much again is telling me something.