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Britney Spears wrote in an Instagram post on October 4 to tease her new short hairstyle:
"I cut all my hair off."
"I don’t want to show it yet!!!"
In the post, Spears posed on the beach in a video while donning a hat. Her hair was above or around her shoulders. Only a little while earlier, the star had hair that was almost halfway down her torso.
\u201c\u201cI cut all my hair off \u2026 I don\u2019t want to show it yet \u2702\ufe0f\u2702\ufe0f\u2702\ufe0f!!!\u201d \u2014 Britney Spears\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
The reactions Spears received after she teased her new haircut alarmed and shocked her, however. She ended up taking the post down.
In a follow-up post she wrote in more detail about how she felt.
"I was shocked to see how many comments there were under my post l did yesterday."
"I looked and good god people are absolutely hateful !!!"
"It saddens me to realize a person who watches something on Instagram that doesn’t even know me takes the time to even comment and say such hateful words !!!"
"What a sad life !!! Yes I’m sensitive so it hurt my feelings.”
The original post was deleted, but her reaction shows how awful the comments must have been.
Spears' fanbase came to her defense vociferously.
There were those who just supported the decision in general, or posted pictures of other times Spears has had short hair of roughly the length implied in the post.
\u201c@britneycharts She always looks beautiful with short hair\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
\u201c@britneycharts Cutting hair, is like a new reinvention.\nEspecially for long hairstyles that become short.\nShe is showing us that she is really going through a process, and it is beautiful to watch as she literally transitions to something natural, no extensions, her naturalness makes her strong\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
\u201cBritney Spears with short hair\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664934856
Some did point out that in the picture it looks like she needs some sunscreen.
\u201c@britneycharts Can\u2019t wait to see it, I think she\u2019ll look great with short hair!\nAlso girlfriend needs some sunscreen, mama bear is burnt \ud83d\ude2d @britneyspears\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
There were still some negative reactions floating around. Here's a pretty representative example.
\u201c@britneycharts Just watched the video. She didn't cut her hair. Just took the extensions out. Brit is looking a lil chubby, sunburnt and still cray cray. Plus what happened to her teeth? She has a huge gap now.\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
Some people are taking this shorter hair as a sign that she might be bringing back some of her energy from 2006 and they are here for this.
\u201cBritney said she cut her hair so I'm manifesting her bringing back this 2006 cultural reset\u201d— Mona Lisa\ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80BORN PINK (@Mona Lisa\ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80BORN PINK) 1664983676
\u201cbritney cutting her hair off oh shes gonna SERVE\u201d— morgan \ud83c\udf39 (@morgan \ud83c\udf39) 1664929766
....As long as the cultural-powers-that-be don't make this like 2007.
\u201c@britneycharts I swear to god if people try to make this look like 2007 I'm gonna kill a few of them\u201d— Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Fan Account \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1664931181
\u201cBritney cut off her hair & they called her crazy & put her under a conservatorship for 15 years.\n\nAt the time that incident really struck me, and as an adult I am still shook.\n\nThe value placed on traditional 'femininity' got a woman's freedom taken away in AMERICA in the 2000s.\u201d— Tiffany \u26a2 Woman4Women\ud83e\udd96 (@Tiffany \u26a2 Woman4Women\ud83e\udd96) 1664923180
Finally there are those who are, frankly, fed up with culturally obsessing over a pop star's hair length.
\u201cit's 2022. \nare we seriously still policing Britney Spears's hair?\u201d— ItsKim \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@ItsKim \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1665005465
\u201c@kimstweety At this point I'll be screaming "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" for the rest of my life.\u201d— ItsKim \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@ItsKim \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1665005465
This is true. It's her hair, and her look. No wonder she took the original post down, if people were responding to it so much.