Britney Spears is clapping back at backlash following a seemingly shady Instagram post!
Earlier this week, the pop star took to the ‘gram to complain about female celebrities who judge other women, particularly for the way they chose to show their bodies on social media. Instantly, fans thought the Toxic artist was calling out Selena Gomez, and they even dug up two pieces of proof: Selena’s Ice Cream music video with BLACKPINK and her 2016 American Music Awards speech.
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Despite Selly’s commentary being several years old, it did seem like it could have bothered Britney (who has faced a lot of criticism for consistently posing in the nude on social media). Selena said at the time:
“I don’t wanna see your bodies on Instagram, I want to see what’s in here [your heart]. I’m not trying to get validation, nor do I need it anymore.”
It seemed like a pretty clear connection, even if it was a bit shocking considering the Only Murders in the Building star was at Britney’s June wedding! Well, turns out the online sleuths were wrong this time because the singer is now returning to Instagram to clarify her comments. In a new post on Wednesday, Britney insisted she wasn’t making any shady remarks about the actress, whom she still considers one of her idols. The explanation was posted alongside a graphic of a woman’s head that read:
“A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everybody else.”
In the lengthy response, Britney revealed:
“Let me clarify about me sharing my beliefs on women judging other women for their own rights in expressing themselves. What I said had nothing to do with anyone specific at all … it was clearly a subject in hand all women have had to deal with.”
She even addressed the backlash head-on by naming Selena in the post, continuing:
“Look I go way back with music !!! I [was] honestly referencing my days when I was younger when I got discriminated against harshly … men in interviews discussing my boobs on live TV or showing my midriff and skin !!! If anybody knows what judgment feels like I’m sure Selena has gone through something pretty similar.”
Understandable! But she obviously had someone in mind in her original post since she very clearly called out a performer who landed a “4 million dollar budget” for a music video that involved “ice cream.” And if it wasn’t Selena, who was it??? Britney dished:
“And what I was replying to was honestly Kelis the MILKSHAKE video when women were finally shaking their asses … that was a moment in history where people woke up to the fact… pushing the boundaries of expressing oneself became explicit… tons of people were offended!!!”
Whoa!
Nobody saw that coming! Apparently, Britney was reintroduced to the song after discovering a remix a few months ago and it “brought [her] back to a time where [she] was always judge[d] for what [she] wore.” Addressing the confusion, the Crossroads alum noted:
“I empower women to express their bodies however they choose… and TONS of other stars who had million-dollar budget videos who were known talked s**t about her when she was a new artist trying to make it !!! I apologize for my ignorance, but I didn’t even see the video for Ice Cream that Selena Gomez, who I genuinely look up to and have so much respect for had made.”
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And just so fans really understood how much she still loves the Disney Channel alum, the mother of two gushed:
“As for the beautiful queen Gomez, I got to be surprised by her on my wedding day and was completely in awe of her !!! I mean I played the DJ for 5 minutes like an idiot and played my favorite song of hers, ‘Bad Liar’ LOUD on the dance floor like a 6-year-old fan and got to sing my favorite song with her and I wanted to freaking pinch myself!!!”
Aw! So cute! The 40-year-old went on to apologize to Selena for potentially hurting her feelings, writing:
“I would like to tell Selena which she’s probably not even aware of trash news that her music has gotten me through lots and thank you again for making my dreams come true by coming to my wedding … you’re one person I have always wanted to meet and my dream came true and I will never forget it !!!”
Adorbz! She finished by encouraging all women to be kinder to one another, concluding:
“I would like to tell other women to lift each other up … we are all in this together, life is too short to be judgmental !!! Women lift each other up higher to inspire each other!! Never judge others by the way they express their bodies”
A great message, and much clearer this time, TBH! It’s super impressive she would even address it, let alone praise Kelis. Milkshake, by the way, was actually written for the pop star herself, but she turned it down and it went on to become the 43-year-old’s first major hit. You can check out Britney’s full post (below).
It’s unclear if Selena saw the post or online controversy, though it’s probably unlikely since she announced on Wednesday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and would be laying low to recover. Good to know there’s no drama to worry about in the meantime!
Thoughts? Are you surprised Britney was discussing Kelis’ Milkshake — and that she was trying to say something nice about the video in her original post? It definitely read a little salty to us! Send us your reactions (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN/Adriana M. Barraza & Kelis/YouTube]
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