Let me paint a picture for you. The year is 1998. I was 12 years old. I had just woken from a grunge induced coma where Kurt Cobain was God and I dressed like Gwen Stefani. I'd just started at an all-girls high school following my formative glory days at a progressive (read hippy) primary school, and suddenly boys and glitter eye make up were becoming increasingly appealing.
Enter Britney Spears.
The song was Baby One More Time, and the outfit was pre-Gossip Girl schoolgirl sex. Pig tails with pink fluffy bits (yes, I meant the innuendo), shirt rebelliously tied to expose midriff and standard issue belly button ring with knee high socks made for a heady mixture of teenage sexual tension and obsessive admiration. Not to mention the inspiration for many a dress-up party ensemble to follow.
This was back in the days where Britney's raw sexuality was offset with her All-American toothy grin and sweet demeanor. Her 'no sex before marriage' policy won headlines the world over, as did her subsequent sexless relationship with sex bomb Justin Timberlake. All I wanted was a boyfriend to match outfits with, just like Brit.
Proving that it's all about the crop-top and the tan, Sometimes had me hankering not only for all white, but also to have my friends form a giant love heart around me on a pier over some sparkling blue waters. It wasn't long however, before old Britters began to do away with the cutesy-pop and move onto something a little more daring. Think PVC onesie and cascading hair extension from Oops!... I Did it Again.
Overall, my favourite Britney era was circa Slave 4 U. When I was a teenager, I had my final performance dance costume designed based on the one in the film clip. Exposed g-string and all. I was also right into the floating collar and tie look from Me Against The Music, the clip that inspired a thousand lesbian kisses the world over, and without which Katy Perry may never have had the green light to go ahead and make a career for herself as a pop-leso.
Since then, our Brit sure has had her moments. But let's do our best not to let the crazy Britney overshadow the Britney that once drove us crazy (pun intended). Britney Spears is a superstar in anyone's books, and there was a time when she was the biggest spunk rat on the planet, inspiring a whole generation of teenage girls to wear pube defying hipsters and pornographic belly tops. With her current Circus tour gracing our fair city, you can bet your bottom dollar that watching that woman doing her thing on stage will transport you back to a giddy teenager in a heartbeat.