Dua Lipa stands with Britney Spears as she condemns ‘anxiety-inducing’ paparazzi
Dua Lipa (L) and Britney Spears. (Getty Images)
Dua Lipa says she can relate to Britney Spears after watching the eye-opening documentary, Framing Britney Spears.
The “Physical” hitmaker shared her thoughts on the documentary to the Los Angeles Times, explaining why she relates to the “harassment” Spears has suffered from the paparazzi throughout her career.
“I’ve grown to be more private because so much of my life is public, and I probably censor myself more than I used to,” Dua Lipa said.
“I also don’t love the idea of making music for headlines or for controversy.
“The feeling of going down the street and they’re trying to catch you in this very awkward picture — it can be anxiety-inducing, honestly.
“And Britney’s time was pre-Instagram when everything was purely about the tabloids, and there were no laws in place about what paparazzi were allowed to do.
“She was being harassed — that’s exactly what it was.”
Dua Lipa is the latest celebrity to speak out about the misogynistic way Britney Spears was treated by the press in the wake of a landmark documentary on her life.
Framing Britney Spears has stoked a reckoning of sorts among members of the press and other high-profile pop commentators. Some have apologised for how they treated the singer, some have not.
Britney Spears drives her car past photographers as she enters the load dock parking to the Family Court house in Los Angeles, California. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
The New York Times documentary examined, among other things, how a swarm of paparazzi endlessly buzzed around Britney, documenting her every move. In one instance, a paparazzo snapped an upskirt photograph of Britney to prove she wasn’t pregnant.
As photographer Nick Stern, who trailed the “Toxic” musician, put it: “Britney Spears was not treated as a person. She was treated as a commodity or even a consumable.”
Alongside the toxic treatment she received from paparazzi, Framing Britney Spears touched on the sexist backlash she was dealt after her break-up with Justin Timberlake, prompting an apology from the singer.
It also examined her ongoing conservatorship battle. Shortly after the film aired, the star won a small victory in court as a judge denied her father Jamie Spears the right to delegate investment powers for her estate.
Britney is attempting to remove her father from the conservatorship, which oversees her personal, business and financial affairs.
