Britney Spears Opens Up About Her Hair-Shaving Incident and Personal Struggles in 2007

In a highly anticipated memoir titled “The Woman in Me,” Britney Spears delves into the reasons behind her infamous head-shaving incident in 2007.

During this tumultuous period in her life, Spears was going through a painful divorce and constantly hounded by paparazzi and gossip columns.

The media frenzy surrounding her abrupt decision to shave her head seemed to reinforce the narrative that she was becoming unhinged.

However, in her own words, Spears reveals that there was a deeper motivation behind her actions.

She writes, “I'd been under scrutiny my whole life.

People had always judged my body, scrutinized me since I was a teenager.”

According to Spears, shaving her head and acting out were her ways of reclaiming control and pushing back against the constant judgment and objectification she experienced.

Following the head-shaving incident, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008, which granted her father and a lawyer control over her personal and financial affairs.

Under this arrangement, she claims that she was prohibited from maintaining her new look.

“Under the conservatorship, I was made to understand that those days were now over,” she explains.

“I had to grow my hair out and conform to their expectations.

I had to adhere to strict bedtimes and take whatever medication they prescribed.”

Despite achieving success with four albums and a highly successful Las Vegas residency called Piece of Me during the conservatorship, Spears admits that she was deeply unhappy.

She confesses, “I would occasionally engage in creative endeavors, but my heart was no longer in it.

Singing and dancing, my once-passions, became almost trivial at that point.

I spent thirteen years feeling like a mere shadow of myself.”

Reflecting on her father's control over her life and finances for such an extended period, Spears expresses profound discomfort.

She questions the double standards and gender bias in the entertainment industry, stating, “Think about how many male artists squandered their fortunes or struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues.

No one attempted to strip them of control over their bodies and finances.

I didn't deserve what my family did to me.”

In September 2021, after pleading with the judge in an open court to terminate the conservatorship, Spears' father, Jamie, was suspended as her conservator.

Two months later, the conservatorship was officially ended.

This newfound freedom empowered Spears to tell her story on her own terms.

“After fifteen years, during which others spoke for me and dictated my narrative, I can finally speak freely without repercussions from those who controlled my life,” she shares in a recent email interview with PEOPLE magazine.

With her memoir, “The Woman in Me,” Spears aims to reveal raw and often painful truths while chronicling her extraordinary journey from teenage superstar to one of the best-selling female artists of all time.

“I believe it's time for me to raise my voice and share my story directly with my fans,” Spears asserts.

“No more conspiracies or falsehoods—just me taking ownership of my past, present, and future.”

“The Woman in Me” is now available for pre-order and will be released on October 24th.

For more exclusive excerpts and the full interview with Britney Spears, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, available on newsstands everywhere this Friday.