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    jinniJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 6:24pm

    Amen to wisdom in whichever form it comes.

    You do you, Britney Jean. It hasn’t been the easiest road.

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      as ripley said to the android bishopjinni
      5/25/16 6:26pm
      GIF
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      Brene Brawnjinni
      5/25/16 6:27pm

      Truth. Faux depth or not, I hope Brit is feeling every ounce of this bit of wisdom and is finding all the acceptance within herself.

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    JessaminaJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 6:26pm

    I’m confused because this was posted by a celebrity who has lived almost her entire life under the ‘spectatorial gaze’ and by posting this on her social media she continues to invite the ‘spectatorial gaze.’

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      Rando CalrissianJessamina
      5/25/16 6:37pm

      Perhaps she sees a line between her work and being watched when she invites it and is performing v. when she is in the privacy of her own life. Her life itself is not for consumption, even if her work is for public consumption.

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      BawitabahJessamina
      5/25/16 6:41pm

      Living under it/being oppressed means relying (psychologically, emotionally) on its “approval,” not having people watch you.

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    afraidofthishumanbodyJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 7:01pm

    I don’t quite understand the point of this. It seems smug. Are we supposed to be making fun of Britney Spears for not being an intellectual? That’s what it seems like, and it seems mean. She is trying to make sense of her life and broaden her horizons.

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      wafflepigafraidofthishumanbody
      5/25/16 7:19pm

      I like your comment. I have been a big fan/supporter of Britney for awhile now. She's pretty intelligent to me anyways. She taught herself how to play the piano at 16 and composed the music for her song Everytime. I think that's pretty spectacular and it's apparently obvious to me that if she can do that, she's pretty intelligent to me. I took piano for 4 years in my adolescence and it's no easy feat even to be taught by a professional. Britney has come along a way and I'm happy for her. You go girl!!!

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      HermionePondwafflepig
      5/26/16 1:55pm

      I watched an episode of Nick Carter’s reality show last year, and one of the things he talked about was how being in BSB at such a young meant that he never got more than an 8th grade education and he felt like he was missing a lot of basic life skills.

      So I feel bad when people make fun of Britney over her perceived intelligence because child stardom probably robbed her of a normal education.

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    JujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes hereJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 6:57pm

    Also posted to Brit’s Facebook page:

    Kidding aside, I still root for her to find happiness as an adult. She really didn't get the benefit of a real childhood/adolescence/early adulthood to learn real life skills, and fuck up without someone judging your every action. She seems like she's trying to escape that eternal childhood that some celebrities succumbed to <cough> Michael Jackson <cough>

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      PollywogJujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes here
      5/25/16 8:02pm

      Lainey just wrote about this today, too.

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      MrsGiantsbaneJujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes here
      5/26/16 10:18am

      So this quote kind of made me laugh out loud in a surprised, almost shrieking manor and it brought me joy. Thank you for that.

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    DontBeSuchaBoobPunchTinaJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 7:31pm

    I love Britney.

    That is all.

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      HermionePondDontBeSuchaBoobPunchTina
      5/26/16 1:56pm

      Same. I’m not even a huge fan of her music, I just always root for her as a person. I want a peaceful happy life for Britney.

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    paultoesJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 6:57pm

    Did anyone listen to the Mystery Show podcast episode where Starlee Kine investigated why Britney was photographed carrying this book by Kine’s friend Andrea Seigel? I recommend it.

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      Oil of Okaypaultoes
      5/25/16 8:52pm

      Yes! I will ever love Starlee for that & the one about the weird cult she tried to join.

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    m-o-o-nthatspellsmoonthesequelJia Tolentino
    5/25/16 7:02pm

    Not that my personal opinion matters to you, but I normally really like your writing Jia and this just felt needlessly mean. Who the fuck cares if Britney isn’t some well-read English major who spent her college years reading Yeats or Joyce.

    Even people who didn't go to college like you or I are allowed to have "deep" thoughts which aren't fake just because it is a simple paraphrase of complex issues. I don't get why this was even written, it seems like every attempt to poke fun at her and point out how redneck she is (referencing her full name, the awkward smile pics). I normally really love every single article you write and this just feels shitty for a lot of reasons.

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      mirabaiJia Tolentino
      5/25/16 6:42pm

      My goodness Jezebel, I have been reading you in support for many years but fuck—its a bit exhausting to hear a loud and cynical cackle that is a headline like this. Can we not acknowledge that people are involved with their own evolution in a way that should be accepted and received in at the very least, applause by others? For what its worth by one reader, it feels sad and cynical that you seem to condemn rather than celebrate the interpersonal dialog a that a “public” (albeit, and all the while) person is having with themselves and the community around them. This is supposed to be a supportive, fem-minded blog but it’s starting to feel like a desperado yesteryear Mean Girls camp delirious to stay relevant, and I’m hopeful that’s not what actually happening or what anyone wants because there is a to of power you have to help things along.

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        Desliu313Jia Tolentino
        5/25/16 6:59pm

        Way harsh, Jia.

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          MalMalMalMalDesliu313
          5/25/16 7:05pm

          Yeah. I will take “fake-deep” over cynical bitchiness any day of the week. Leave Britney alone!

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        Paranoid Android (sometimes says dumb things)Jia Tolentino
        5/25/16 6:31pm

        Mystery show did a whole episode about Starlee tracking Britney down because she wanted to know why she was pictured carrying a copy of an obscure book her friend wrote.

        https://gimletmedia.com/episode/case-2...

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          ambitiousParanoid Android (sometimes says dumb things)
          5/25/16 6:55pm

          ... and it was great.

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