Britney Got a Conservatorship, and Kanye Got to Keep His Phone
Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Boca
I think we can all collectively agree that Ye has lost his mind in the past few weeks. Breakups aren’t easy, but he recently took heartbreak to the next level, just one year after Kim K filed for divorce. I mean, he deleted all of his posts on Instagram, replacing them with various photos attacking his enemies, including screenshots of his messages with Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Making matters worse, Ye posted images of Davidson with his eyes crossed out and uploaded a photo only Kanye himself could have conjured. The image featured a Marvel Civil War poster that superimposed Ye’s enemies, such as Davidson, Drake, and Taylor Swift, onto the faces of the film’s heroes, the caption reading, “THE INTERNET HAS STILL NOT FOUND A DECENT PICTURE OF SKETE.” Kanye definitely seemed to be having a bit of a temper tantrum, and one can only assume it was a desperate, jealous attempt at getting Kim’s attention. This blow-up was a classic example of what happens when a man cannot express his emotions and instead throws a fit—but that’s another issue we’ll talk about later.
Now, we know Kanye has a reputation for taking over the internet before every album release, and this recent outburst occurred right before the Stem Player-exclusive release of Donda 2. However, this shouldn’t excuse his obscene behavior. You’d think it would have frustrated people that he was allowed to share such private issues and expose celebrities, including his ex-wife, in front of millions. While some did take offense to the outburst, many followed along, laughing and reposting. He went viral instead of being held accountable.
If Kanye were a woman in this situation, there's not a chance he would have gotten the same response.
Let’s think back to our beloved Britney Spears, circa 2008. Spears had an IRL outburst, the equivalent of a social media tangent in 2022. She’d finally had enough of the media, the paparazzi, and the pressure of being America’s sweetheart. She was also going through a divorce at the time, and all that would have been enough to send anyone off the deep end. Both celebrities, I should note, openly suffer from bipolar disorder.
The difference between the two situations is clear; no one took away Kanye’s rights, his money, his children, or even his phone. After his episode, he carried on business as usual, releasing his album, his new Stem Player, and even his Yeezy-Gap collab. On the other hand, Britney was hospitalized and forced into a thirteen-year-long conservatorship, where her father had control over her finances, her life, and even her body. She had to endure over a decade of control, patronization, and hate. Only recently has she been able to live freely, without the burden of her conservatorship. All because she had a moment of insanity brought on by the very same society that locked her away.
If you ask most people about Kanye’s outburst, they’ll probably talk about how he does this before every album release, that he’s a genius, and it was all a stunt—all part of the creative process. I disagree, personally. I don’t think it’s because he’s a creative genius. Society is naturally sympathetic toward men, and Kanye takes advantage of that. Imagine if a woman of the same level of fame posted messages and photos of her ex’s new girlfriend on Instagram. At the very least, she would have her account taken, and the world certainly would not say it’s because she's a genius. They would call her crazy, blame her mental health issues, or worse—call her hormonal and emotional. The question is, why? Why can Kanye wreak havoc on Instagram and walk away as a meme while a woman like Britney had to fight for her life? It’s time to hold men and women to the same standard, and it’s time to call out the biased nature of society and social media.
Strike Out,
Emma Saunders
Boca Raton
Emma Saunders is a Content Writer and Photographer for Strike Magazine Boca. In her free time, she enjoys saving the planet, drinking iced coffee, and listening to Red (Taylor’s Version only) on repeat. You can reach her at emmarose3900@icloud.com
