Britney Spears tells fans to 'lighten up about the knives'
'I'm copying Shakira'
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Published Sep 27, 2023 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute read
Britney Spears is telling fans to “lighten up” after she posted a video dancing with butcher knives.
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The pop star alarmed followers after she posted a video to her Instagram in which she was seen cavorting around with a pair of blades. “I started playing in the kitchen with knives today,” she wrote before clarifying the instruments were “NOT real,” adding, “Halloween is soon.”
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Spears’ dogs appeared in the background of the clip, but were scared off by her jerky movements, bizarre smile and clanging blades.
On Instagram, the Toxic singer turned commenting off, but on X, formerly Twitter, fans said that her upload was evidence that she isn’t doing well following her split from estranged husband Sam Asghari last month.
“The debate is over,” one person wrote. “Britney Spears is insane and can’t take care of herself. At this point, we even have to ask if she could be a danger to others. For a year, she’s been dancing incessantly in the exact same spot, and now she’s even waving knives around.”
Critics demanded the dog be removed from her care. “Those poor dogs just ran scared they need to be rescued and she needs HELP,” one wrote, with another adding: “Someone please save this puppies!!”
In a follow-up video, Spears, 41, was observed sporting a bandage and what appears to be a gash on her thigh and lower back.
But the I’m a Slave 4 U songstress was unmoved by the unfolding drama.
“Lighten up about the knives,” the Grammy winner captioned a followup video, telling her followers she was “copying Shakira.”
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Some of Spears’ fans defended her dance and accused those concerned for her mental well-being of overreacting.
“When Shakira does a dance performance with knives it’s art. But if Britney Spears (obviously inspired by Shakira’s VMAs performance) does it, it’s a concern or she’s not OK,” one person wrote.
“Why can Shakira dance with knives but not Britney Spears?” another questioned. “It’s an actual art form. Y’all just have worms for brains.”
Britney Spears Photo by InstagramEarlier this year, TMZ alleged that Spears — who was involuntarily hospitalized twice in 2008 and sent to a mental health facility in 2019 — has a long-held “fascination with knives.”
“Britney viewed knives as a means of protection,” TMZ reported in May. “She has a constant fear of being re-institutionalized, something she’s referenced in the past.”
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Following her split from Asghari, insiders also told TMZ that the Iranian-born model complained to friends that Spears was abusive throughout their seven-year relationship.
With his divorce filing catching her off guard, insiders close to Spears worry that she’s headed on a “downward spiral.”
“Some people are of the opinion that Britney’s on a dangerous downward spiral,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly last month, adding, “And the stuff she’s been (doing) hasn’t done much to dampen that worry. The concern for Britney’s welfare right now is off the charts.”
X: @markhdaniell
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