English poet Robert Browning once said, "When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something."
By all accounts and purposes, teen idol and mega-celebrity Britney Spears has a self-worth of millions of dollars. Perhaps that's why the sight of the once iconic idol and world-renowned beauty traipsing the street in a dirty wife beater and shaved head rocks our American culture to the core.
Spears is the only American female recording artist in history to have four consecutive No. 1 albums. This, combined with chart-topping singles, a clothing empire, action figures, perfumes and the admiration of millions worldwide, is why some might find it hard to believe the idol has troubles with her personal "worth." America simply cannot fathom the idea of the girl who's got it all falling so far, throwing away what she's gained. Where has the Britney America once loved gone?
Britney is now a punk rocker. In 1960s Paris, artists invented a cultural theory known as the Situationist International, which claims the ideas of anti-materialism, that the possessions and wealth people accumulated are not their to control, but that such things control them. It also decries every person as essentially not special, standing in sharp contrast to America's consumer culture. This theory served as the catalyst for the punk rock movement and inspired Malcolm McLaren and the Sex Pistols to create a new genre of music, deriding the value of boring television, boring riches and a boring life of pretending one is special.
Born on Dec. 2, 1981 in Mississippi, Spears was, from the beginning, raised to be a star. By 8 years old she was auditioning for the Disney Channel's "The New Mickey Mouse Club," and at age 16, Spears dropped out of high school to pursue a solo singing career.
In 1998 Spears released the single "...Baby One More Time," which rocketed sales of her debut album to No. 1 on the U.S. charts. Her three subsequent albums (Oops! ... I Did It Again, Britney, and In the Zone) all performed likewise, building Spears' fame to mammoth proportions and leading Forbes to name her the most powerful celebrity in the world in 2002.
On Sept. 18, 2004, Spears married former backup dancer Kevin Federline. After having two children together in less than 12 months, with her second born in September 2006, Spears and Federline divorced in November of that year. Soon after her divorce, Spears began displaying wild behavior including her nightlife antics and an alleged lack of mothering ability.
On Feb. 17, 25-year-old Spears entered a California hair salon and shaved off her iconic golden locks. Pictures of the newly bald Britney were plastered on the front pages of newspapers worldwide.
Punks are at their heart Situationists, casting off the yoke of consumerism. As evidenced in the media, Spears appears to be following these ideals, albeit unconsciously.
When having her head shaved, the reformation of the classic image of feminine beauty were not necessarily on Spears' mind. However, the tearing down the image of beauty that the media expected her to maintain was probably at the forefront of her thoughts.
On March 4, two weeks after Spears' committed herself to rehab in California, reports also surfaced that the pop idol had attempted suicide during treatment while screaming bizarre phrases at the staff, including "I am the Antichrist" and "I'm a fake, I'm a fake!" Doctors suspected her recent antics are the result of postpartum depression.
Self-destruction has been a tenant, albeit a tragic one, of the punk lifestyle since its inception. From Sid Vicious to Pete Doherty, the abandonment of care for one's wellbeing has been an aspect of self-removal from the consumer culture. Just because Spears looks and acts like a punk doesn't mean she can claim the title, though. The conspicuous consumption of any of America's royal family of stars proves that.
Still, few other modern stars have so unequivocally tossed off the chains of fame. It calls to mind rocker Kurt Cobain, whose own fame pushed him to the edge. Unlike Cobain though, Spears once relished her time in the public eye, which makes her alleged suicide attempt more shocking.
This turn is not entirely unexpected though, as the unadulterated invasiveness of the celebrity-obsessed media has become virtually omnipotent. Cell phone cameras, paparazzi stalkers and a culture that puts value behind the idea of simply seeing a person labeled as famous has created a new tabloid style where celebrities are prisoners in their own lives.
Thus, by her unsuspecting adherence to Situationist International ideals and self-destructive tendencies, Spears, tragically, can be labeled as quite punk at this point. Like punk idols before her, public opinion of them turns on a dime, whipping from love and admiration to contempt and hatred in the blink of an eye.
Kurt Cobain once penned the tune "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" about the fallen 1930s movie starlet whose mental breakdown caused the public to spurn her. She was eventually the victim of unwarranted shock treatment. Cobain likened himself to Farmer, a victim of the fame and attention his art had afforded him.
Spears exists in much the same way, a fallen starlet spurned by her once adoring fans. One can easily see now what Cobain meant we he sang "Serve the Servants," a song about how he was enslaved by his fans.
Perhaps the more appropriate Ramones song would be "You're Gonna Kill That Girl." Spears' breakdown is a crime in which we all have complicity.
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