Britney Spears Knows The Haters Don't Matter

If anyone knows about staying afloat in the rough waters of show business, it's Britney Spears. While she's been shown love, the singer has also undoubtedly been on the receiving end of an overabundance of backlash. As I'm sure the singer would attest, there is no amount of money that can prepare you for that type of emotional whiplash. You just kind of have to go through it. Unless, there's someone older and wiser to show you the way. Britney Spears talked to V Magazine about navigating stardom (Just Jared shared a preview of the interview), and she gives advice that all young pop stars should probably take into consideration.

First, though, let's look at Spears' advice giving qualifications. Aside from us witnessing her more tumultuous times and thankfully, watching her come out the other end, there was a reason she was chosen for this interview. This isn't lip service, either. V actually detailed why they picked Brit Brit for the V 100th anniversary issue and it's super special and quite affirming.

Editor-in-chief, Stephen Gan, explained on V's site,

When looking for cover worthy subjects for our 100th issue, we had to ask ourselves, Who do pop stars and musicians — who have become an integral part of what V represents — look up to and admire? There was only one answer: Britney! She has entered icon status, and who in our world did not grow up listening to her music?

So, yeah. Not that V had to spell out her "icon status" for us, but it's nice to see it in writing, isn't it? And it gives credence to the nuggets of wisdom on fame that she revealed in this particular interview. The magazine asserts that not only is Spears a successful performer, but also that the "34-year-old mother of two has found herself to be a well-adjusted adult," perpetuating the notion that Spears has found a way to somehow have it all — the spotlight and normalcy.

But just because she's found her zen with stardom, doesn't mean others have. Spears referenced Justin Bieber directly when explaining to V how she deals with fame and the pitfalls that come with it. She said,

Whoever is in the spotlight, people are really quick to judge. I mean, there are a lot of kids coming up who’ve experienced that. You know, Justin Bieber, he’s huge, and he experiences that. It’s just the way the world works, unfortunately. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I kind of don’t pay attention to it. I have my relationship with God and myself and that’s what matters to me. I really don’t care what most people think.

While I'm sure Biebs could benefit from this, he isn't the only one. Yes, the "Sorry" singer was probably the best way to represent all pop stars a whole — especially the more controversial ones — but I honestly think that every other teen and 20-something pop star and famous person alike should heed her warning as well. She's been through it all, the good and the bad, and she knows far more than any outside party could probably imagine.

Now that we are in a social media age, there's a constant, unending bombardment on Twitter and Instagram from fans and critics alike, and Spears' choice to tune it out is a shrewd one. While these younger pop stars may not have the experience she does, her words serve as a guiding light that they can and will overcome the hardships, so long as they don't lose themselves and what's really important in the process. Honestly, the fact that she overcame and wants to help others do the same is the real reason why she's so iconic.

Image: Giphy