Britney Spears sparked outrage after making remarks on social media that seemingly body shame Christina Aquilera's backup dancers.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the "Toxic" singer posted a quote attributed to comedian Rodney Dangerfield that read: "I found out there was only one way to look thin: hang out with fat people."
In the caption, Britney wrote that she wished she could have chosen her own backup dancers for live performances.
"I mean if I had Christina Aguilera's dancers I would have looked extremely small," she wrote. "I mean why not talk about it??"
Until November, Britney was under a conservatorship in which her father, Jamie Spears, controlled her personal and financial decisions. In her Instagram post, Britney alluded to her conservatorship, saying her own body image may have been different if she had been given the opportunity to make her own decisions.
"Don't you think my confidence would have been a bit better if I could choose where I lived, ate, whom I called on the phone, dated and who was on stage with me!!!" she wrote. "It's hard sometimes now I see how much of my womanhood was stripped away at that time and every person sat back and didn't say a thing!!!" she continued, adding, "Anyways … I will be here talking bout things people NEVER talked about."
The body shaming post was met with widespread backlash from fans who took issue with Spears criticizing Aquilera's dancers for their weight. Many demanded that Spears delete the post, while others called her out for body shaming.
"Oof. Love Britt- but this was in bad taste. Body shaming to make yourself feel better is not where it's at." one follower wrote in reply on Instagram.
"What did Christina's dancers ever do to deserve this?" another wondered.
"No need to put another woman down to feel better about yourself," a third fan remarked.
"Is the only thing that gives a woman confidence how thin she is? Sad," replied another.
While many may approach the topic of weight with caution on social media due to the triggering effects it may have on people living with eating disorders, Spears has been candid about her own struggles with weight gain and loss. Last year she shared photos of herself at a heavier weight and when she was more slimmed down.
"When you swipe to the second pic you can actually really see how slim my face is but I'm not so sure I like it …" she captioned the images, according to the Daily Mail.
"In the old days when women were heavier they were considered more attractive to men because it was a sign of wealth !!!!" she continued, adding that she had several throwback photos where she "looked heavier" and felt happier.
"Sorry for my shallow talk of weight," she concluded the post. "but it is what it is you know !!!! God bless you all!!!!!"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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