The 6 Most Heart-Wrenching Revelations From Britney Spears' Memoir
Britney Spears' life has been on display since she was just a kid, but now the pop singer is taking control of her story. The musician will be releasing her much-anticipated memoir, "The Woman In Me," in late October, but Spears has already shared some heart-wrenching details that are covered in the book.
Not long after Spears' conservatorship ended in November 2021, speculation began that Spears would release a book, not just on the difficulties of the conservatorship, but also about her entire life, per The Hollywood Reporter. Interest in the possible book launched a bidding war amongst some of the biggest publishers. But at the time, it seemed to be nothing but buzz until Spears confirmed the upcoming memoir. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the "...Baby One More Time" singer shared, "Well, I'm writing a book at the moment and as it's actually healing and therapeutic... it's also hard bringing up past events in my life... I've never been able to express openly." Spears added that she's not sure who will want to read about her life, but many people clearly do. In July, the singer teased the upcoming memoir on social media, once again sharing how it has become "therapy" for her (via E! News).
Spears' life has undoubtedly had some very difficult moments. She lived a troubled childhood, struggled with her mental health, and endured an unjust conservatorship — but what we already know only skims the surface. Here's what she's now revealing in her memoir.
Britney Spears had an abortion during her relationship with Justin Timberlake
Britney Spears dropped a bombshell ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, "The Woman in Me." In her late teens and early 20s, the "Toxic" singer was in a very public relationship with fellow musician Justin Timberlake. The two dated for three years but split amid rumors that she cheated on Timberlake. While fans may have thought they knew everything about this high-profile romance, Spears claims in her upcoming memoir that she got pregnant while with Timberlake and ultimately had an abortion.
According to People, Spears details her mindset during the supposed pregnancy with Timberlake in her book. She writes, "It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn't a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I'd anticipated." It's unclear when this pregnancy occurred in their relationship, but according to Spears, Timberlake was upset about it. Spears shared, "But Justin definitely wasn't happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young."
Ultimately, Spears and Timberlake decided to move forward with an abortion. It was incredibly difficult for the pop singer, as she revealed, "If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn't want to be a father."
Britney Spears wanted a sense of control when she shaved her head
Britney Spears sent the world into a frenzy after she shaved her head in 2007. According to ABC News, the pop singer walked into a hair salon in Tarzana, California, and demanded they shave her head. After the hairstylists refused to do so, Spears grabbed the clippers herself and started shaving. One of the hairstylists, Esther Tognozzi, recalled Spears showing little to no emotion while cutting her hair but eventually getting teary-eyed. Tognozzi shared, "The only emotions that she showed was when she said her mom was going to be mad that she was doing this to her hair and she got a little bit teary-eyed." After Spears shaved her head, many criticized the "Piece of Me" singer and claimed she struggled mentally.
More than 15 years later, Spears is spilling the sad reason she decided to infamously shave her head. Ultimately, it all came down to the criticism surrounding her appearance, according to People. She wrote in "The Woman in Me," "I'd been eyeballed so much growing up. I'd been looked up and down, had people telling me what they thought of my body, since I was a teenager." She continued, "Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back." Spears had faced intense backlash from the media, the public, and even her family, and she wanted to feel some sense of control when she cut her hair.
Britney Spears' father was one of her biggest critics
Britney Spears and her father, Jamie Spears, have had a complex relationship, and he became one of the pop singer's biggest critics. In her memoir, Britney shared the harsh judgment she constantly received from Jamie, per People. She said, "If I thought getting criticized about my body in the press was bad, it hurt even more from my own father. He repeatedly told me I looked fat and that I was going to have to do something about it." And Britney endured Jamie's criticism as a young child, too. Britney wrote, "Feeling like you're never good enough is a soul-crushing state of being for a child. He'd drummed that message into me as a girl, and even after I'd accomplished so much, he was continuing to do that to me."
Jamie's troubling opinions about Britney worsened when she was under her conservatorship. In 2008, Britney's father was named as one of the several individuals who could make important decisions for the "Gimme More" singer, per Business Insider. Britney shared that when she entered the conservatorship, her freedom regarding her looks was stripped away. She shared, "I had to grow my hair out and get back into shape." For the next 13 years, Jamie would remain in control of much of Britney's life up until his suspension in 2021, per Vanity Fair.
Britney Spears drank with her mom as a child
Britney Spears' childhood was anything but normal, and at an early age, she began drinking with her mom, Lynne Spears. In "The Woman in Me," Britney reveals that she began drinking in eighth grade, per People. She shared, "For fun, starting when I was in eighth grade, my mom and I would make the two-hour drive from Kentwood to Biloxi, Mississippi, and while we were there, we would drink daiquiris. We called our cocktails 'toddies.'" Although it might not be legal to allow your child to drink under age 21, Britney looks at these moments with her mom as a fun part of her life. She wrote, "I loved that I was able to drink with my mom every now and then." Over the next couple of decades, however, Lynne and Britney's relationship would crumble.
Similar to Britney's father, Jamie Spears, Lynne was heavily involved in the pop singer's conservatorship. In 2021, Britney even claimed in a now-deleted Instagram post that her mother was behind the idea (via E! News). She shared, "Pssss my dad may have started the conservatorship 13 years ago ... but what people don't know is that my mom is the one who gave him the idea...she secretly ruined my life."
Although the two have been able to reconcile since, it's safe to say Britney and her mom have experienced many ups and downs in their relationship.
Britney Spears' conservatorship stripped her of her womanhood
If there's one thing fans expected Britney Spears to cover in her memoir, "The Woman in Me," it's her conservatorship. For 13 years, Britney had little to no say in every aspect of her life after she was placed under conservatorship due to her mental health struggles, according to CBS. Under her conservatorship, Britney was unable make financial, physical and personal decisions that were ultimately left up to her father, Jamie Spears. In 2021, Britney's conservatorship was dropped — but the trauma did not go away overnight. In her memoir, Britney shares the disheartening details of how the conservatorship affected her life.
According to People, the pop singer wrote, "The conservatorship stripped me of my womanhood, made me into a child. I became more of an entity than a person onstage. I had always felt music in my bones and my blood; they stole that from me." Britney truly believes that if they let her life unfold the way she wanted it to, she would have found herself in a better place. She shared, "Thirteen years went by with me feeling like a shadow of myself. I think back now on my father and his associates having control over my body and my money for that long, and it makes me feel sick." A huge portion of Britney's life was controlled by other people and she believes she "didn't deserve" what her family did to her.
Britney Spears time on The Mickey Mouse Club was similar to a boot camp
Britney Spears got her start in the entertainment industry at a young age, but it wasn't all fun and games. In 1993, Spears landed a gig on "The Mickey Mouse Club" at just 12 years old, per The Wrap. For the next three years, "The Mickey Mouse Club" would be a huge part of her life, but starring in the show wasn't always easy.
According to People, Spears revealed that "The Mickey Mouse Club" was a bit like a "boot camp." The pop singer wrote, "Being in the show was boot camp for the entertainment industry: extensive dance rehearsals, singing lessons, acting classes, time in the recording studio, and school in between." Similar to school, Spears shared that the show's cast was divided into cliques, with the younger crowd in one group and the older crowd in another.
Although Spears admits there were some fun moments, like sharing a kiss with fellow co-star Justin Timberlake, it still was a grueling job, per People. Spears said it was "exceptionally hard work" and oftentimes the group of kids and teens would be in rehearsals practicing choreography "thirty times a day." "The Mickey Mouse Club" was a job at the end of the day and it took up a large chunk of Britney's childhood.