Photo used under Creative Commons license from flickr.com user Beacon Radio
Britney Spears turns 32 today — doesn’t that make you feel old? And to celebrate her birthday, I’ve decided to pay homage to the pop princess by dedicating my blog to her.
I was a Britney Spears fan girl when I was a kid. When I was a little girl I worshipped Britney: I had the Britney scrapbook, I had fantasies of meeting her (in which I cry and faint), I watched every one of her concerts on Disney Channel (remember when Disney had concerts?), I was devastated when she and Justin broke up, and had a vendetta against Jamie Lynn Spears because I wanted to be Britney’s sister. I had all of her CDs and when my “…Baby One More Time” CD snapped in half when I was nine, I cried. And not to brag, but I do a kick-ass Britney impression.
I bet you’re wondering why I haven’t said that “Crossroads” is my favorite movie ever. Well that’s because my mom wouldn’t let me go see it, making me the only kid in my fourth grade class to not see the movie. Clearly, I am still bitter about it today.
Whether you worship Britney like I do or can’t stand the sight of her, if you were born in the early 90s, you can’t deny how influential Britney Spears has been on our generation.
Britney revived pop music and has influenced singers today such as Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey and more. She has a star on the Walk of Fame, has sold more albums than I knew a factory could possibly produce and made “Total Request Live” legit with her awesome music videos. It has to mean she’s done something right when when “Glee” does TWO Britney tribute episodes and my dad has a statement about her.
But more importantly, we grew up with Britney. We all had a preview of what our own angsty teenage years would be like when she released “I’m a Slave 4 U.” True story: I remember the day I got her “Britney” CD in the mail and when I listened to “I’m a Slave 4 U;” when heard her say the word “hell,” my mouth dropped and that’s when I knew, Britney had changed.
In 2007, our hearts fell for Britney when she had her mental breakdown and shaved her head; some of us even had nightmares where she died and woke up crying. Again, true story.
Britney has taught us about the importance of car seats, shoes in gas station bathrooms and perseverance — because if Britney can survive 2007, you can survive today.
So for all you naysayers, don’t deny that when you hear the first four beats of “…Baby One More Time,” you don’t immediately become nostalgic about your childhood because that’s what Britney does; she reminds us of when our lives were simple and not flooded with the stress of college.
So cheers to you Britney on your birthday, I hope you have the best day ever and on behalf of our generation, thank you.
