This might surprise you, but Chinese netizens are also jumping behind the #FreeBritney movement.
Following Britney Spears’ release from her father’s oversight late last month, supporters celebrated not just on Twitter but also Weibo — China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
On September 29, the American singer’s father, Jamie Spears, was suspended as her conservator by a Los Angeles judge, CNN reported. The decision ended a legal arrangement that had been in place since 2008, which gave J-Spears control over his daughter’s life amid concerns for her mental health.
#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!! I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it … pic.twitter.com/7OpsOKoHNc
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) October 4, 2021
On Weibo, the hashtag #FreeBritney# has reached more than 130 million views. Another hashtag, #Britney’s Father’s Conservatorship has been Suspended#, which was trending following the news of her legal triumph, had reached 74 million views at the time of writing.
Under a social media post on Spear’s legal triumph by ‘DC Uncle,’ a prominent Chinese music blogger with more than 10 million followers on Weibo, a netizen commented that “the next step should be execution [for Jamie Spears].” (Which, frankly, is a bit extreme if you ask us.)
Another wrote, “can anyone explain why an adult who is a worldwide superstar can be ‘imprisoned’? Does she have no choice? Shouldn’t she have many channels to speak out? This is incredible.”
Chinese media outlets have also paid close attention to the #FreeBritney campaign.
In March, China’s leading magazine LIFEWEEK published a story on Spears’ situation one month after the New York Times’ documentary Framing Britney Spears was released. The report highlighted how the public viewed the superstar as a “sex toy” since her childhood and how the legal case between her and her father has unfolded.
The article has been viewed more than 100,000 times on WeChat and nearly 1 million times on Weibo.
Later, media outlets like People Magazine, New Weekly Magazine, and iWeekly posted or reposted articles exploring Spear’s conservatorship.
The fan-led #FreeBritney campaign started in 2019 when fans grew concerned about her long-running conservatorship after she disappeared from the public eye for several months.
Following the announcement of Jamie’s suspension from the role as Spear’s conservator, Sam Asghari, the superstar’s fiance and a supporter of #FreeBritney, celebrated the judge’s decision on his Instagram Story, writing, “Free Britney! Congratulations!!!!!”
However, some of her Chinese fans expressed their concerns that Asghari could turn out to be just like her dad.
“I feel that her father controlled her, and now this man is too. Her mental state is always out of the normal range. [Asghari] is just another person who makes use of her and is going to take over her money,” wrote a Weibo user.
Another opined, “Be sure to sign the prenuptial agreement, please!!!”
Cover image via Depositphotos
