Britney Spears is no longer keeping quiet about her split from Justin Timberlake. In her new memoir, The Woman In Me , Spears slams the double standards between men and women in the music industry, recalling how her ex-boyfriend told her on his first solo album , Justified Bullshit” and get away with it.
Spears recalled that Timberlake released his "Cry Me A River" video in 2002, which depicted an infidelity with a woman who looked weird to him, while she was reeling from dealing with a breakup. “In the news media, I was portrayed as a prostitute who broke the heart of America’s golden child,” she wrote. "Here's the truth: I was unconscious in Louisiana and he was running happily in Hollywood."
She went on to claim that Timberlake cheated on her "multiple times" and that he "failed to mention it" while promoting the album. But she said he got away with it because of the industry's double standards for male and female artists.
How double standards arise
"In Hollywood, men have always had more leeway than women," she wrote. "I saw how men were encouraged to badmouth women in order to be famous and powerful. But I was devastated."
Earlier in the memoir, Spears admitted she had been unfaithful to Timberlake with choreographer Wade Robson, but said it was just one incident compared to her ex-husband's multiple alleged infidelities. .
However, "Cry Me A River" framed Timberlake as a victim, and she attributed the song's impact to the early 2000s trend of male artists looking down on women in music.
"The idea of me cheating on him brings more angst to the album and gives it a purpose: to talk shit about an unfaithful woman," she wrote. "Revenge against women for being disrespected was very popular at the time. Eminem's violent revenge song 'Kim' was very popular. The only problem with the narrative is that, in our case, that wasn't the case."
Influence of "Cry Me A River"
Spears said Timberlake's success left her "ashamed" and made her feel like she couldn't tell her story. "I can't explain it because I know no one will be on my side once Justin lets the world believe his version of events," she wrote.
She went on to recall how she would be "booed" wherever she went, from clubs to Lakers games. "I don't think Justin realizes the power he has in shaming me," she wrote. "I think he still doesn't get it."
Justin talks about their sex life
To add insult to injury, Timberlake has been criticized in recent years for openly discussing his sex life with Spears in post-breakup interviews. However, this is actually an aspect of Timberlake's behavior that she doesn't mind because it dispels the false reputation of virginity her team has built for her without having to dismantle that image herself.
"Honestly, I love that Justin said this," she wrote. "Why are my managers trying so hard to claim that I was a virgin in my twenties? Whose business is it that I had sex?"
She went on to praise Oprah Winfrey for ending the conversation about her sexuality during the interview. "I was grateful when Oprah told me on her show that my sexual orientation was no one else's business and that 'if you change your mind, you don't need to announce it to the world' when it comes to virginity."
