Summary of Britney's Media Life: Good PR and Bad PR
As we all have seen over the past couple of years, Britney Spears has been all over the tabloids. She has impacted Public Relations both in a positive ways and negative ways as well. When her name comes to mind negative thoughts run through people’s heads, this is because of the way that she portrays herself. Shaving her entire head, out of know where, does not bring a positive image to mind. The way situations are handles and dealt with draw the line between good PR and ad PR. On the negative side Spears brought the negative attention to herself by shaving her own head in a hair salon. This leads the public to make assumptions to what she was thinking, and the months of controversial behavior before this incident do not help her image. Some said that this was her giving a sign that she was in need of some help. That is a hell of a way to ask for help and support! Not only did this draw everyone’s attention to her, but it also made some wonder why she would do such a thing. Was it to cover up any drug use that was going on, that could have been tested through hair samples? When issues are not addressed properly it leads to assumptions being made, which leads to bad Public Relations. She should have addressed these issues behind closed doors to avoid the image that she has painted for herself.
The press behind Britney would continue to get worse as her downward spiral to a deranged pop diva continued. Britney Spears was locked in a psych ward as word spread to tabloids, after a meltdown that ended when she was strapped to a gurney and rushed to a hospital. Britney Spears was considered a "special needs" patient and was held at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for at least 72 hours in a wing where suicidal patients are treated, sources would go on to report. Apparently, Spears had initiated a confrontation with the cops when she refused to return her sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline. Late in 2007, Spears had lost all visitation rights to her sons Sean, and Jayden, after a number of events had ruined her image further. There was no proven fact that Spears had threatened to kill herself, but reports had stated that Brittany was becoming increasingly suicidal after the set of events that took place the year before.
Another example of bad Public Relations was the custody battle for Spears and Federline’s children. Spears lost custody of her two children after driving with her sons in CA without a valid driver’s license, and for failing to submit a drug test. This leaves another negative image on the celebrity. This is exactly the point that we are trying to make, that if handled correctly this negative image would not have been so out of control. The unraveling of Spears’s image all started after the marriage of her and ex Kevin Federline. "Britney knows that she needs help and is already going through counseling, she knows what needs to be done and is slowly re-building herself step by step." These are the statements that reflect her. Issues need to be addressed otherwise they will all build up against you. You have to take responsibility of your actions, not try and cover them up. Public Relations is all about how you portray yourself to the media or an audience. During this time period Britney Spears did a very poor job portraying herself to the media, and the media thrived off of it, tarnishing her image.
The young star has not always been this way. Starting from a child in the Mickey Mouse club, the star was a sensation. Makin millions of dollars from a young age, never mind the millions of fans she picked up along the way. She was a growing attraction and idol for all young people. Up until a few years ago she was on top of the industry, making millions and having thousands of loyal fans to follow her. As she grew older she became more daring and transformed into the teen everyone wanted to be. Britney broke out of her shell, and started to do as she pleased, which did not look the best when it came to PR. After making a few decisions that have tarnished her image and lost millions of fans Britney is on her way back. She is making a full recovery from the bipolar disorder and receiving treatment. Britney has settled with Kevin Federline about her custody issues, and is back in her children’s life. Although she shares custody with former husband Kevin Federline, she sees her children as much as possible and is trying to set a good example for them. She is turning around to the best of her ability, and the fans that she still has are following her more than ever. From what we have seen through the press and PR Britney is doing the best to clear her name and turn her life around. Will have to wait to see what happens with the future and see how the star handles her business this time around.
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