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Attain Behavioral Health. “Celebrities With Drug Addictions.” Attain Behavioral Health, Celebrities With Drug Addictions Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Rodriguez, Karla. “We Spoke to a Psychologist About Child Stars and the Impact of an Unstable Family.” Complex, We Spoke to a Psychologist About Child Stars and the Impa... Accessed 8 Jan 2025.
Sabet, Cameron J. “The Effects of the Internet on Celebrification and Mental Health: From Britney Spears to the Vatican.” ClinMed International Library, https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/iaphcm/international-archives-of-public-health-and-community-medicine-iaphcm-5-065.php. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Tsioulcas, Anastasia. “Opinion: Britney is the Latest Victim of The Industry Machine.” NPR, Britney Spears' Court Struggle With Her Dad Is Nothing New In The Music Industry : NPR. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Turner, Chrisopher. “THE STORY OF: Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” Schoolgirl Outfit.” 29 Secrets, https://29secrets.com/style/the-story-of-britney-spears-baby-one-more-time-schoolgirl-outfit/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
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Word Count: 663
The oldest woman enters the room from stage left, hesitantly, and takes her seat on the chair closest to her, stage left.
THE VOICE: Now, 30, what do you say to the allegations? Would you say that your downfall from fame was all your own fault? I mean, you got involved in terrible, terrible things. Drugs amongst them. The media follows you like a moth to a flame. You’ve lost everything. Poor, poor dear.
30, wearily: I know that. I know my life and my fame isn’t what it used to be. We don’t need to keep talking about it. I know you’ve already asked the other two for their testimony. You don’t need mine.
THE VOICE: Yes, their testimony was necessary, perhaps a bit subpar in 17’s case, but yours will be just as necessary.
30: Necessary? What is my word needed for? The public has already seen what I have to give. I’ve given it all and lost it all. I don’t have anything else left to tell. I just want to be left alone.
THE VOICE: Perhaps… but what if you had the chance to tell your side, to show the people that it was them who drove you toward your demise! You have a chance to change things dear, and if nothing else, I’m sure many would be at least entertained by your story.
30, angered: Entertained! Entertained? I have lost my marriage, my sons, my right to manage my own life! How could anyone find joy in that?
THE VOICE: I never said joy, dear. Entertainment can just the same be derived from a true crime show as a comedy movie. And the entertainment found from your life can teach others the dangers of your path, and how few and far between the trait of true empathy has become. Your story is one of tragedy, of how the boring and mundane see the downfall of their favorite celebrities, and it breathes life into their little dried, desiccated lives.
30: I guess that does make sense.
THE VOICE: And your testimony wouldn’t hurt anyone. The only one to hear you is me, and perhaps speaking about your life will bring you light to your… issues. Consider me a type of … therapist.
30, snappishly: Issues indeed. I guess it really wouldn’t hurt. She takes a deep breath. I just feel failed by my fans. I’ve done nearly everything to be appreciated, and at some point, I couldn’t keep up. The paparazzi kept following me and following me. There were so many pictures of me doing things I shouldn’t have that I just lost it. I did drugs, and I got married, twice, and they failed, twice. I had children, and I failed them too. Then I got put into the conservatorship, and I lost my ability to choose what to do with my life, with my money.
THE VOICE: Keep going.
30: I guess I was just expecting for everyone to try and be helpful, to want to see me get better. Everybody talks about how humans are supposed to be, at their core, kind, but it seems that kindness has elapsed my situation. I got dragged through the mud, and I feel like that’s only made it worse. Honestly, it feels like everyone only really started showing up when everything started piling up. And people started to get really involved online with the hate, even more than the people who supported me. Like they… She realized something. found joy in my downfall. Interesting.
THE VOICE: It seems that you finally see my point. These fans that you did everything for, weren’t there for you, in the end. They were there-
30, continuing the statement: To live through me. I wasn’t really there to entertain them through music, their entertainment was found through the publication of my life. Through seeing how low I could go.
She looks directly at the audience, staring for a few seconds.
The curtain falls.
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Word Count: 588
The woman of middling age walks in from stage left and takes her seat in the middle chair.
THE VOICE: Hello 27.
27, slowly: Hello?
THE VOICE: Are you ready, 27?
27: Ready… for what? Are you planning on asking me the same questions that you asked 17?
THE VOICE: Perhaps. It depends on what you have to offer me. Which, I suppose, is likely much more interesting and of greater magnitude than what she gave me, dear.
27, reluctant: I guess so. What is the purpose of me being here anyways? You’ve probably seen my life, just like everyone else. What else do I have to testify if you’ve seen it all?
THE VOICE: Well, you haven’t really had a chance to say anything have you? It’s all been by word of mouth, or rather by vision of pictures. Many, many pictures. 27 appears ashamed. I was just thinking that perhaps you would like a chance to defend yourself for once. To prove that it wasn’t just your own influence, changing your own life, spinning out of control as I’m sure many would describe.
27: I suppose so. Most of these things that have happened are really my own fault though. No one person made me like this. It just seems like these days, this is what all stars turn into.
THE VOICE: I guess so, but what happened? It seems like nobody saw it coming. You were young, successful, the epitome of a starlet. Everybody wanted to be you.
27: Yeah, but look at me now. Everybody’s seen my downfall. I’ve gotten addicted, and couldn’t kick it, and I’m losing a custody battle for my sons. The court wants me to pay 20,000 dollars per month for each of my kids for child support, and as much as I want to make sure my boys get everything they need, will all that money really be going to them?
[note: 20k per kid is 40k per month, in total it’s 480k per year. Yeesh]
THE VOICE: I see.
27: I even made the stupid decision to shave my head, in the heat of the moment with everything, and now I look even guiltier. So many pictures were taken of me that day, and they were published everywhere, on probably my lowest day ever. Everybody’s hounding me, and I just really want a break.
THE VOICE: Would you say that it was your own fault all these things happened?
27, looking down at hands: Well, the pictures definitely weren’t something I planned to happen, but I feel like the drugs were something I could have prevented by trying to be kinder to myself, and the atmosphere didn’t really help. Anybody who’s anybody does drugs to keep themselves… entertained? If that’s the right word. It was just hard to stop taking them when everyone around me was taking them too. But I wish people had just left me alone. Everything about me is already mass broadcasted, and I just… I just need a break from all of it. The people consuming all this media about me aren’t really making things worse, just tiring me out about everything.
THE VOICE: Interesting. Well, we’ll see if your opinion on how far the public has participated in your downfall changes at all. 27 looks up. Goodbye, 27.
27, nods her head: Goodbye. She heads through the same door that 17 left through, and before she goes through the door, she looks back up at the ceiling, perhaps in curiosity, and then disappears.
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Word Count: 465
A long table sits in the middle of a dimly lit room with bare walls. The floor is grey concrete, as are the walls, and the only source of light comes from a single pendant light hanging directly above the table. The door is quite ordinary, and there are no windows. The room is devoid of any information regarding location, or anything that could signal time. It is the very picture of a blank slate, with exception to the three chairs that sit at the table, facing the audience.
From stage left to stage right, one chair is carved delicately, designed charmingly, and has no blemishes to the naked eye. It has gorgeous designs, perhaps hand painted and carved on, with love. The next to the right has still been carved with the same level of thought, but the designs have begun to fade with use, and it appears as though one of the chair legs are shorter than the others, but only enough to prove a nuisance. The final chair to the right is in an astonishing state of disrepair. It still provides its job, to hold a person, but the designs are so faded and chipped that at first glance, it seems to be marred with scars replicating a human’s. It is important to state that all these chairs contain similarities, and that perhaps, long ago, they were all part of one set.
The light flickers just a bit brighter, and the door opens, with three ladies walking in from upstage right, taking what seems to be their predetermined seats. They are all blonde and of average height, but of different ages. When they reach their seats, they all smile to greet each other silently. The one to take her seat at the newest looking chair is the youngest, with no wrinkles on her skin, and a youthful glow. In the middle chair, sits the lady that is neither young nor old, perhaps closer to young, but her skin has lost its glow, and her smile does not quite reach her eyes. The oldest woman sits in the chair that is most in disrepair, the rightmost. She has smile lines, and yet her eyes are dull, a tell of experiencing a life many would not have the gall to withstand.
The ladies begin chatting amongst themselves, although the conversation appears to be led mostly by the youngest, with the middle and eldest listening to her, nodding along, placated by the mystery of youth and innocence. Music, reminiscent of some mainstream pop plays faintly in the background, and the lights dim slowly, and the music fades.
Silence.
The curtain closes, and then opens, with only the youngest in the leftmost chair. She looks around and appears shocked that she is the only one left.
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Word Count: 618
A voice speaks out, loud and clear, disembodied: feminine indeed, bold as well.
The Voice: Hello, dear. It is nice to finally meet you.
17, confused and mildly fearful: Who is that???
The Voice: It is not important who I am, but who you were, are, and will be. Many say that you have been dealt a terrible card in life, but others say you abuse your spotlight, and that you are the same as all the rest. What say you?
17: Oh, I don’t really know what you mean…
THE VOICE: You really don’t know? You need to defend yourself from the… allegations.
17: What allegations????
THE VOICE: Very well then, you will eventually find out.
Pause, the rustling of pages in the background.
THE VOICE: 17! Care to explain your claim to fame? Your rise to stardom! YOUR GREAT------ cutoff
Silence, then vague background noises, and perhaps a bit of shuffling from wherever THE VOICE is broadcasting themself from
17 looks around confused and alarmed until THE VOICE speaks again a few seconds later. THE VOICE: Deepest apologies, 17, would you mind sharing your negative experiences with fame? Or just really any experience?
17: Oh, I guess so. I’ve really enjoyed being in the spotlight, and my fans have been really supportive so far. Cue awkward silence.
THE VOICE, expectantly: Nothing else? 17 shakes her head No anecdotes on how your fans have been possessive, overbearing, or even the least bit too judgmental? 17 opens and then closes her mouth just as quick. Are you sure? Is there no moment in which you have had to defend yourself against your fans for something that is really quite… innocent? I need a bit of anything to go off of.
17: Well, yeah, there is, but what do you mean you need something?
THE VOICE, pauses for a few seconds: It is for but my own purpose, nothing you need to be concerned about…
17: Okay… skeptically Well, there was this one time when I did a music video. Actually, it was kind of recently. I was wearing a school uniform, and I just made it a little more teenager-y, you know. A bit more modernized, that’s all. Raising her voice slightly. And people online got really annoyed about how I wore it. I was just trying to be trendy and relate to kids my age. I was just tying up my shirt to dance, and I’m really used to it, considering that it would be stupid for someone to attend a dance class without wearing a shorter shirt, or less clothing. They said I was deliberately playing up my innocence, but I’m a teenager!
THE VOICE: I see… So, would you say that the general public response was trying to, how would the youth say it, drag you down?
17: Yes? Maybe? I don’t really know.
THE VOICE: Interesting. So, it does seem that these people, as you would say, tried to drag you through the mud, and perhaps, seemed to derive joy, or at least entertainment from attacking you?
17: I wouldn’t exactly say they were attacking me, it just felt annoying that they wouldn’t get my point. And I’m not sure about joy, but it did feel like maybe they came from a place of concern? I’m not really sure.
THE VOICE: Ah, I see… Well, then, you may leave 17.
17: Oh um, thank you for having me, I guess. Which direction do I go to leave? Door previously unseen at stage right is revealed. Oh, I see. Thank you, again. She walks to the door, slowly, and cautiously. Before she leaves, she looks back behind her and then hurries through the door.
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Word Count: 892
According to Cameron J Sabet, “Celebrities are not human in the world of popular culture. They are cultural deities,” (Sabet), and with further investigation, it seems this is true. Celebrities influence culture reflecting the methods of the control the Greek Pantheon holds on the human world. The lives of celebrities are constantly publicized via the news, THE VOICE shows, and, some of the most scathing and easily reachable, gossip magazines. The line between public and private is so far blurred that it is considered odd for anyone directly influencing pop culture to shy away from the outside world between jobs and keep their lives out of the way of the tabloids. Perhaps it is for the best that they choose so, as the spotlight seems to be easily corrupting, not only attracting the naïve youth, but also presenting them in a way to society that changes their lives permanently, and not in a way that brings any betterment to their lives.
Britney Spears was one of the most prevalent stars of the 2000s, and it’s safe to say that nobody could predict her downfall. Her music was a mark of its time, hooking itself to an era that many look upon in fondness. She was the quintessential pop queen. But, as it seems, she wasn’t the only star who succumbed to the pressures, and started radically changing their lives, for the worse. It was a growing trend that celebrities would get blinded by the spotlight, and start to derail their lives through substance abuse, another notable example from the same era being Amy Winehouse, an artist who died of alcohol poisoning after a fight with substance abuse in 2011 (Tsioulcas). However, many question if their spiral is truly just an internal problem, a mark of the culture surrounding celebrities, or an issue with the people who follow celebrities and publicize their lives.
Britney Spears, in particular, is an example of a child star who crumbled under the intense pressure of not only the public’s opinion of her, but the responsibility of being the breadwinner for her family. According to an article by Karla Rodriguez, child stars tend to suffer under the hands of those closest to them, often weathering greedy parents, who tend to steal away millions “before they were even of age”, and an unstable support system, which increases the likelihood of substance abuse later in life (Rodriguez). Typically, the kind of star that succeeds in their adult life is the one in which their parents do not rely on their success for their livelihood. According to Shauna Springer Ph.D., an interviewee of the same article, “When a legal guardian comes to rely on the money that their child generates, they may be more likely to overlook or conceal struggles like substance abuse, mental health struggles, or eating disorders—for fear that seeking help might negatively impact the income they depend on,” (Rodriguez). In contrast, other child stars with a more protective support system tend to live through their childhood better and avoid more “shady” activity that other child stars may be exposed to, something that Britney Spears did not get to experience (Rodriguez).
Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as Britney Spears arrived into the spotlight, her light was doomed to flicker out. According to Cameron J Sabet, “The public asked for Britney Spears to be a perfect woman. The masses expected her to represent the competing ideals of virginity and promiscuity throughout her career,” (Sabet) and by holding these impossible expectations upon her, society itself had begun the countdown to her downfall. They celebrated her, “showering her with attention and special treatment,” (Sabet) and she was extremely successful in both music production and performance. However, this favorable treatment stopped the moment that Britney had begun to crack and reveal something else other than exactly what society wanted. Her downfall became exactly what fed the crowd’s desire for drama, with tabloids that began violating her privacy, and the public began to tear her down even farther than what was previously expected. It seemed that society derived a sense of fulfillment from her downfall, which distracted from personal problems and provided an intense sense of entertainment to the public (Sabet).
This behavior still continues today, with the obsession with the lives of celebrities, There are still many celebrities who have been caught in the allure of the spotlight, only to be let down by society’s perception of them as they grow and change as people, and no longer fit the rigid mold that society had set for them. These celebrities turn to drugs, like alcohol, and often lead long, difficult battles to fight off addiction, likely ruining public perception, and their careers, in the aftermath. According to Attain Behavioral Health. “25% of celebrities have a history of drug addiction,” and, “40% of celebrities who seek treatment have a relapse within the first year,” in 2024, which is quite a high percentage (Attain Behavioral Health). This information suggests that more celebrities are relying on substances to relieve the pressure of society. It is important to note that much of the pressure on celebrities comes from the obsession of the public, and without creating boundaries between ourselves and them, and knowing that they deserve to live private lives, will likely ease off the pressure, as all human beings deserve the space to breathe.
Masterlist | Based on Real People
Summary: The 2000s were a crazy period in history, beginning in the craze of Y2K, when many thought the world was ending due to the turn of a millennium, and punctuated with new emerging genres of music. The 00s also saw a new trend: child-stars turned pop culture gods, especially those that moved from acting to music.
Britney Spears is one such person, with her career starting in the Mickey Mouse club house, and then continuing with her becoming a household name for her addition to the music sphere. However, after a few years in the spotlight, it began to burn her. Her career went down in flames in the mid-2000s, and it seemed like she was never again going to rest upon her pedestal with her fellow stars.
But, the question was, who was to blame? Was it herself, the social sphere she became accustomed to, and the company she kept? Or, was it the public and the media, always starving for any glimpse of her life they got, good or bad.
Warnings: This contains minor mentions of drug abuse, but would otherwise be categorized at a level of PG.
Notes: This is a one-act play, inspired by Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and contains an informative synopsis at the beginning, as well as a work's cited page.
DISCLAIMER: This is not at all meant to drag Ms. Spears down in any way, shape or form. This is merely meant as a social critique on human behavior. It is also intended as satire, but I am probably very terrible at writing satire, so take it at face value.
I have also published this on AO3, if you prefer that format, here.
Enjoy <3
Chapters: 6/6
Total Word Count: 3.2k
Part 1 Overture [essay] 892 words
Overture [content] 465 words
Act 1: Scene 1 618 words
Act 1: Scene 2 588 words
Act 1: Scene 3 663 words
Works Cited