From Britney Spears to Pamela Anderson: 2000s female stars who are reclaiming their own narratives

Britney Spears’ biography ‘The Woman in Me’ is not the only example of a celebrity taking back control of their image and story. From Paris Hilton to Pamela Anderson, here are the stars who are fighting back against the unfair treatment they received in the 2000s—two posthumously

Britney Spears released her highly anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, last week to highlight “the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms”—a right Spears did not possess in the 2000s, when the singer suffered greatly from having her life cruelly misrepresented by tabloids and living under a conservatorship, which she was freed from in June 2021.

However, what Spears experienced is hardly an isolated incident. Throughout the entertainment industry’s history, female stars have always had to battle against sexism, harassment, abuse and more—all whilst staying silent. Well, not anymore.

Increasingly in recent years, institutionalised sexism, fatphobia, and racism have been challenged by the ongoing international feminist movement, which left little room for abuse and abusers to hide from accountability and consequences. This shift has given former victims like Spears to raise their voices and take control of their own narratives. Here are just some of the women who are fighting back and telling their stories in their own words.

You might also like: Britney Spears set to release her memoir titled ‘The Woman in Me’ in October

1. ‘The Woman in Me’ (2023)

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From being harassed by paparazzi to being hyper-sexualised even as a teenager, as well as having her womanhood and motherhood demonised by the media and in the court of public opinion, Spears has attributed her mental health breakdowns over the years to how the press has treated and portrayed her multiple times. And how those narratives enabled her 14-year conservatorship under which she has little to no autonomy over her career, finances or even her own body.

While you might have already followed Spears’ case throughout documentaries like Britney VS Spears (2021), Framing Britney Spears (2021), and Britney Spears: The Price of Freedom (2023), her memoir, The Woman in Me, is the first time Britney Spears is telling Britney Spears’s story.

2. ‘Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know me’ (2023)

Released on Netflix in 2023, Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me follows the American model’s tumultuous life—from being discovered and featured in Playboy Magazine to her infamous wedding to 89-year-old Houston oil tycoon, J. Howard Marshall when she was herself 26 years old. While the documentary doesn’t shy away from the sensationalism of Smith’s life, it also adequately covers how she was hyper-sexualised and infantilised by the media until her death in 2007 at just 39 years old.

Directed by Ursula Macfarlane, the feature pays homage not only to the icon’s beauty, but also her depth and complexity as a person. Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me portrays its protagonist as a free-spirited woman who wanted to live the American dream on her own terms—and who got burnt by it.

3. ‘Janet Jackson’ (2022)

One singular incident in global pop star Janet Jackson’s life sadly illustrated how differently blame is distributed between men and women when a controversial moment happens. On February 1, 2004, Justin Timberlake ripped off a part of Jackson’s costume during their joint Super Bowl performance and exposed her breast to the 143.6 million viewers watching in what was put down to a “wardrobe malfunction”.

The incident, dubbed “nipplegate”, was humiliating for Jackson, and on top of that she received endless vitriol for the unplanned moment—but not Timberlake. Subsequently, she was banned from the Grammys that year, blacklisted from MTV, and reportedly lost out on some acting roles. In her eponymous biographical documentary, which aired on Lifetime and A&E, and is now available on Hulu, she looks back on the incident, and the consequences it had on her career.

4. ‘Pamela, a love story’ (2023)

Pamela Anderson was not only one of the most famous sex symbols of the 2000s, she was also one of the celebrities that tabloids loved to follow around and blast in its pages. In Pamela, A Love Story, a documentary available on Netflix, the icon reveals how the relentless hunt shaped her life and affected her mental and physical health.

Through her own words, personal videos, diary entries and conversations with those closest to her, such as her children, the model, actress and activist re-contextualise her relationship with the media, and opens up about how she survived abuse as a minor. Also, how the sexualised image the media built of her influenced the outcome of her trial against Internet Entertainment Group—which obtained a stolen sex-tape of Anderson with then-husband Tommy Lee, and sold copies online despite an injunction sought by the couple.

5. ‘Reclaiming Amy’ (2022)

The death of Amy Winehouse from accidental alcohol poisoning in July of 2011 at just 27 years old shocked the world. While people were quick to remember her troubling relationship with drugs and alcohol—and her immense talent—many tend to forget the crucial role the media played in the decline of her mental health and substance abuse.

Publicly criticised for her addictions, fat-shamed while suffering from eating disorders, and a constant targeted of misogyny, the music icon was not able to talk back at the toxicity she faced during her lifetime, but a recent BBC documentary sets about offering a new interpretation of her life, loves, and legacy—albeit only on her behalf.

6. ‘This is Paris’ (2020)

Paris Hilton has undeniably changed the landscape of celebrity and popular cultures, television and digital voyeurism. But being the self-claimed “original influencer” came at a price. Some of which was never seen by the public.

This is Paris is a 2020 YouTube original documentary that looks back at the late ’90s and throughout the 2000s, when the hotel heiress was portrayed to the masses as a “brainless bimbo” who lived a privileged and untroubled life. But one of the biggest revelations of the documentary include her experiences of being kidnapped and involuntarily sent to a behavioural treatment centre for perceived troubled teens, and being emotionally, verbally and physically abused while she was there.

“I buried my truth for so long,” Hilton says in an interview with People prior to the release of the documentary. “But I’m proud of the strong woman I’ve become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.”

This is Paris also shows the star connecting and healing with others who were sent to the same treatment centre, and collectively speaking out against it.

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