Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson had their trauma exploited. What it means to hear their side.
failed Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson. Recently, the #FreeBritney movement along with documentaries like “Framing Britney Spears” exposed how the media exploited Spears and her mental health, and “Pam Tommy” revisited the sexist mistreatment of Anderson after her sex tape was stolen.
But there’s still a problem: These stories so far have been told by others, without the permission of the women they are about.
In May, Spears criticized the “hypocritical” documentaries surrounding her life, and similarly, “Pam and Tommy” received backlash for failing to obtain the consent of Anderson in its dramatized retelling.
“Any time a woman’s voice is taken away from her, that takes power away from her. And whether they intended to do that is a different story, but the fact that Pamela and Britney didn’t have that agency and voice is definitely a problem,” says Stefanie Davis Kempton, an assistant professor of communication at Penn State Altoona.
But now, both Spears and Anderson are setting the record straight — on their own terms. On Monday, Spears confirmed she’s writing a book, and last month Anderson surprised fans by announcing her upcoming Netflix documentary. Neither have announced release dates or official titles.
‘It’s actually healing and therapeutic’:Britney Spears confirms she’s writing a memoir
Experts say it’s important that these high-profile women are finally taking back their narratives as doing so can be a critical step in healing from trauma.
“It’s your story to tell, and it doesn’t belong to anyone else. So when that’s taken from you, it’s painful. It’s traumatic,” says Jessica MacNair, a licensed professional counselor. “So for (Britney and Pamela) to reclaim that and do it on their own terms is inspiring and even healing.”
Britney Spears is ‘speaking her truth.’:Are we listening?
‘Framing Britney Spears,’ ‘Pam Tommy’ spread awareness. But they were likely ‘triggering’ too.
traumatic experiences privately. But celebrities like Spears and Anderson don’t have that luxury.
The 2021 FX documentary “Framing Britney Spears” dove into the singer’s battle to regain control of her life, and prompted pop culture fans to reconcile with the past public mistreatment of Spears. Nearly a year later, the Hulu biographical drama series “Pam and Tommy” revisited the viral fallout of the “Baywatch” star’s stolen sex tape that was leaked in the ’90s.
‘Framing Britney’:exposes a problem bigger than Britney
Fact-checking ‘Pam Tommy’:Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee and the stolen sex tape
Kempton, who specializes in women’s representation in the media, says these efforts to profit off of their stories without their consent are inherently “exploitative” and “damaging” — intentional or not.
“Most times when someone is talking for you, they’re also talking over you,” she explains. “So even if there are good intentions in telling someone else’s story, taking away their voice in favor of your own is actually doing a disservice.”
all survivors of trauma have a right to process their past at their own pace, in their own words.
Carla Manly, a clinical psychologist and author of “Joy from Fear”, adds that having others tell your story for you can be re-traumatizing. It’s triggering to relive your past unexpectedly, and it can also add an additional trauma if your story has been misunderstood, phrased inappropriately or includes incorrect facts.
“We all have the right to work through our trauma at our own pace. Once it’s taken out of our control, not only does it take away from the healing process, but it can also feel violating and re-traumatizing,” Manly adds. “It can add this new trauma of, ‘Oh my God, that’s not what happened to me. I’m not being seen or understood.'”
‘Glimmers’ are the opposite of triggers:Here’s how to embrace them.
‘Not a victim, but a survivor’: The empowerment of taking back your narrative
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Spears admitted it was “hard bringing up past events in my life” while writing her memoir. However, she said it’s also “healing and therapeutic.”
“I’ve never been able to express openly!!! I can only imagine that I do sound childish but I was extremely young with those events took place,” she wrote Monday.
Though it’s impossible to erase trauma completely, experts say revisiting and processing your past is a crucial part of recovery.
More on trauma:Paris Jackson said the paparazzi traumatized her. What exactly is trauma?
“One of the main reasons people want to write or talk about their trauma is to create an understanding of their inner story. Working through all the dark moments, making sense of it — that alone can be deeply healing,” Manly says.
MacNair adds that it’s also empowering to take back control of your narrative, especially when it was exploited by others. For instance, Anderson referred to herself as “not a victim, but a survivor” when promoting her documentary, which includes archival footage and exclusive interviews.
Why women of the ’90s are triggered by Britney Spears doc
And some question how much progress we’ve really made since. Juliet Williams, a professor of gender studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, argues that women shouldn’t feel the need to expose intimate details of their lives, even if there is power in Spears and Anderson sharing their stories.
“These women are caught in a double bind where the choice is to be exploited by others or self-exploit,” Williams says. “I totally endorse, support and celebrate the move away from objectification, but I don’t think the final place we want to get to is for women to expose themselves in order to be treated with respect and dignity. That’s not what true autonomy and liberation is.”
However, experts are hopeful that this is a start.
“Having two huge names, international ones like Britney and Pamela, lead the way is a really great start to having women take a step back and say, ‘No, I’m going to tell my story,'” Kempton says. “The more people are like that, the more people will accept that this mistreatment is unacceptable.”