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America's newest pop princess made her way to the White House press stand clad in a baby-pink tweed and plaid
skirt suit, chunky white high heels and black socks. Olivia Rodrigo, the Disney star turned Billboard sensation, had
met with President Biden and taken a photo with Vice President Harris before facing the masses with her signature
half-smile to advocate for vaccines.
Contrast was essential to Rodrigo's look. The actress-singer-songwriter's outfit was "Clueless" meets punk, her
effortlessly calm demeanor belying some of her debut album's most affecting songs, including the aptly titled
opening track, "Brutal."
In the tune's first few lines, Rodrigo asks, "Who am I, if not exploited?" —a line that would not have been out of
place as the rallying cry of a protest taking place approximately one mile away. As Rodrigo addressed the Briefing
Room, fans and advocates gathered for a #FreeBritney demonstration to call for Britney Spears, who has spoken
out about being controlled by her conservatorship, to be freed from its restrictive ties.
The eventful afternoon, which took place last month, proved that if one thing remains consistent in the music
business, it is the enduring dedication and attention paid to our young, hit-producing female royalty —and how we
inevitably chew them up and spit them out.
At a glance, it may not seem like Rodrigo, 18, and Spears, 39, have similar journeys to stardom, but the overlaps are
there. Spears's career launched when she was a Mouseketeer on Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club," while
Rodrigo's rise to fame was in part propelled by her starring role on Disney's "High School Musical: The Musical: The
Series." Spears's most famous songs are danceable, catchy, bubblegum-pop hits from the late '90s and early
2000s. Rodrigo's debut album "Sour" pays homage to that era with an angsty edge.
But the expectations put on the two pop stars are drastically different. Spears was never expected to take a stand
on political issues; her role was to provide earworms with a side of eye candy. Rodrigo's job description, on the
other hand, includes weighing in on social ills, writing heartbreak anthems and (if she so chooses) posting a
picture of herself in a bikini. Our most popular pop princesses have certainly evolved. Or have they? Could it be that
they're as beholden to the zeitgeist as ever?
Experts point to a rise in social media, changing market tastes and a heightened fixation on individuality and
female empowerment as a reason for the change over the past two decades.
"Hollywood will always give people what it thinks they want," said Mara Wilson, an author and former child star
best known for her work as the title character in "Matilda." "It all comes back to objectification and turning these
young women into objects to be consumed. I think now we're realizing with people like Britney Spears that women
are human beings. They've been under so much control for so long and they've been objectified for so long. We're
finally having a reckoning with that."
It's possible that fans and listeners want their pop stars to play the role of social justice warriors —Gen Z is
notorious for naming and addressing issues of inequity. But it's also possible that girl-boss energy, individuality
DETALLES
Título: The unexpected link between Britney Spears and Olivia Rodrigo explains so much
about being a pop star today
Sección: Entertainment
Copyright: Copyright WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post Aug 3, 2021
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