Entertainment

Remember Britney's First Pepsi Ad?

by Kristie Rohwedder

Back in the early aughts (she said wistfully), the current Queen of Las Vegas was the Queen of Pepsi. In 2001, the iconic soft drink company brought Britney Jean Spears on as its spokesperson. And oh, how wonderful the advertisements were! There was the Beyoncé, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias commercial; there was the Britney Travels Through the Decades commercial; and there was the Pepsi World Cup commercial. But before any of those commercials took over our television sets, there was Spears’s first Pepsi TV spot. Debuting in '01, "Joy of Pepsi" starred a 19-year-old Spears, a team of dancers, Wade Robson's choreography, and a bottling plant.

Just like she did during her performance of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"/"Oops!... I Did It Again" at the '00 VMAs, Spears starts the commercial in a hat and conservative outfit. And just like she did during her performance of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"/"Oops!... I Did It Again" at the '00 VMAs, Spears quickly removes the hat and conservative outfit to reveal a midriff-baring costume. And just like she did during her performance of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"/"Oops!... I Did It Again" at the '00 VMAs, Spears dances like no one (and by "no one," I mean "everyone on the entire planet") is watching.

My favorite moment from the ad? Um, I don't have one favorite moment. I have 23. Let's get to it, eh?

The ad begins with a Pepsi plant employee standing with his or her back to the camera:

Wait, is that—

IT'S BRITNEY SPEARS! BRITNEY IS THE PEPSI PLANT EMPLOYEE! She totally got me.

Why is she pulling the uniform up around her neck like this? Is she's cold?

WRONG-O. She's rippin' that thing right off:

Sayonara, uniform. Nice knowing you. You live on the floor now. That sticky, Pepsi-coated floor:

Same can be said for that hat:

She runs this Pepsi plant now. She does what she wants. She'll throw that hat willy nilly:

AHHHHHHH HUMANS ARE FALLING FROM THE SKY:

Britney uses what I assume to be magic to open the doors:

Well, I'll be! It's a regular ol' Pepsi plant dance party:

Whoa, those suspenders look uncomfortable and hilarious:

This guy is me:

LOL at Britney and the dancers headbanging along to the Pepsi song:

The lady dancing along with Britney is me:

I mean:

I haven't moved on from those beautiful suspenders:

She's so lucky:

I spy a Wade Robson:

Hey there, Coca-Cola:

The guy on the left is me:

Hey there, BOB DOLE:

Hey there, WADE ROBSON:

Ba da ba ba ba, ba da ba ba ba, the joy of Britney:

Images: Pepsi (23)