Is Britney Spears really ready for a comeback?

For the finale of the #FreeBritney franchise, it seems that the 2000s Queen of Pop is to return to music. Recent reports have claimed that Britney Spears will be collaborating with Elton John on a song titled 'Hold Me Closer'. As exciting as this is, I can’t help but think that – seeing as her conservatorship was ended less than a year ago by a court ruling – she may be biting off more than she can chew. I question if she is truly ready to return to the inevitable pressure that comes with being in the public eye.

I’m no therapist, but the treatment that Britney has endured over the past 14 years surely has to have lasting mental effects on the star’s health. And her latest antics on social media imply that she is still dealing with the fallout of being controlled by her family members for the past decade.

And who could blame her? Her autonomy was stripped down to the clothes she bought, the food she could eat and even the colour that she could paint her kitchen cabinets.

I must stress that this is no criticism of Britney; it is simply an observation that we should take our time in life, especially when that life has come under attack from not only gossip sites and newspapers, but the court of law. There are still certain aspects of the conservatorship in place, and she is facing more public scrutiny now than ever.

Even her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, has recently piped-up. Before last month he’d never opened his mouth on the situation, but now it seems he feels compelled to speak after a teaser was shared on social media from an interview with ITV. In it, the singer – who was married to Spears from 2004 to 2007 – said that their two teenage sons were keeping their distance from their mother and had chosen not to attend her wedding to Sam Asghari in June.

Federline also claimed that the teenagers had found it 'tough' seeing their mother sharing nude photos online, adding: 'I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school.'

Now, unpopular opinion, especially in the eyes of the #FreeBritneyBrigade, who I would argue do more harm to the star than good… but I can’t help but agree with Kevin. Mothers on social media are without a doubt the most embarrassing demographic on earth. 'Instagram moms' are the worst. And the issue with Britney’s newfound freedom is that her repressed thoughts and feelings over the past 14 years are now spewed up over cryptic Instagram posts and naked photos. Regardless of the fact that she has effectively been in a living prison cell for the past decade, which I believe is abhorrent, it doesn’t minimise the fact that this will understandably have some effect on her children. I once walked in on my braless mother and the memory is etched on my memory for all eternity. Imagine seeing that day after day, knowing that tens of millions of others have also seen it.

Britney’s criticism towards her family is valid. I could not imagine my parents controlling what colour socks I wore, mental health issues or not, but her vitriolic social media posts against them are not for the world to see. And Kevin is right when he claims that it will affect their children. In British law it would fall under alienation, and while I’m sure Federline and other members of the family have had their fair share of bad things to say about Britney, her claims that Federline’s comments were 'hurtful' are simply not true. From the preview of the interview, Federline’s comments were wholly fair, even adding in reference to Britney’s mostly naked Instagram posts that 'maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself'.

It seems that Britney and husband Sam’s responses to Federline, which include calling him 'cruel' and accusing him of 'vilifying' Britney, show that the couple may not be ready to jump back into the spotlight.

The #FreeBritneyBrigade has transformed from supportive fans to a cult that enables her often disturbing behaviour – now that means that anyone with a viewpoint that doesn’t fit their storyline will be branded as enemies.

This article was originally published in The Spectator’s World edition.