Britney Spears
Public image
Spears's erratic behavior and personal struggles during 2006—2008 were highly publicized and affected both her career and public image. Erlewine reflected on that time of her life by saying that "each new disaster [was] stripping away any residual sexiness in her public image". In a 2008 article, Rolling Stone's Vanessa Grigoriadis described her much-publicized personal issues as "the most public downfall of any star in history". Spears later received favorable media attention. Billboard claimed that her appearance at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards "was a picture of professionalism and poise" after her "disastrous" 2007 performance at the show, while Business Insider published an article about how Spears "lost control of her life [...] and then made an incredible career comeback". Spears later reflected on that tumultuous time of her life and career: "I think I had to give myself more breaks through my career and take responsibility for my mental health. [...] I wrote back then, that I was lost and didn't know what to do with myself. I was trying to please everyone around me because that’s who I am deep inside. There are moments where I look back and think: 'What the hell was I thinking?'"
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