Being
Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon
The Cultural Impact of
Celebrity on Feminism and Mental Health
London,
July 25, 2022 — Britney
Spears’ life is as multifaceted as the very contradictions, pressures and
expectations that helped create her. Yet, beyond the eye-catching headlines and
front-page fodder, an almost indecipherable question remains: Who is the real
Britney?
In Being Britney: Pieces
of a Modern Icon (Permuted
Press, an imprint of Post Hill Press; July 19, 2022; IBSN: 978-1788705233;
Hardcover), author
Jennifer Otter Bickerdike culls a
collage of vignettes, stories, interviews, legends, fan experiences and amusing
detours to construct a definitive portrait of the artist and her complex,
far-reaching orbit. This unique narrative is the first to provide a sympathetic
yet objective re-examination of Britney's cultural impact in the wake of major
collective shifts surrounding feminism, celebrity and mental health. The
book is coming
off its successful launch in the UK, where it became No. 1 in Amazon’s Hot New
Releases.
With her canon of
bestselling singles, electrifying stage performances and iconic music videos,
Britney Spears is undoubtedly a modern pop superstar. But her story has long
been clouded by society's dark obsession with beauty, youth and fame — a
relentless glare that has threatened to eclipse her musical success. Now, in this timely
portrait, Bickerdike takes readers beyond the headlines to discover the Britney
behind the product and the society that both created and failed the pop
superstar:
1.
Being Britney explores the life of a mother and
entrepreneur; a victim and fighter; an entertainer and enigma who, for over a
decade, was publicly exploited, used, consumed and tossed aside by many.
2.
Despite her
career spanning five presidents, multiple creative reinventions and over 100
million album sales, Britney's ability to come back from highly publicized
personal adversity has rarely been acknowledged.
3. Against continued
adversity, her relevance and successes grew with each passing year, culminating
in a game-changing Las Vegas residency, a shocking conservatorship battle and
the powerful #FreeBritney support campaign.
Being Britney is the compelling and often irreverent account of
a talented, troubled and talked-about modern icon, “who has managed to grow
a multimillion-dollar empire despite numerous outside forces trying to destroy
her from every angle.” Bickerdike recognizes, “after years of being framed as
a victim, Britney deserves to be celebrated as the fighter, entrepreneur,
inspiration and enigma that she truly is,” whose life, work and individual significance will
be recognized for years to come.
About
the Author
Dr. Jennifer Otter
Bickerdike is
a rock ’n’ roll cultural historian and author, working across music heritage,
fandom, broadcast and academia. She is the author of several books on pop, rock, fandom and
celebrity, most recently the critically acclaimed You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico
(2021), and the No. 1 bestseller Why Vinyl Matters: A Manifesto from
Musicians and Fans (2017). Bickerdike was literary
consultant for Will Sergeant (Echo and the Bunnymen) with his bestselling debut
memoir Bunnyman (2021); global music ambassador for the
British and Irish Modern Music Institute; and co-founder of Moving the Needle,
a nonprofit organization that supports women in the UK music industry through
their careers. Originally from Santa Cruz California, she now lives in London.
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