Why Are ‘The Idol’ Characters Calling Mental Illness “Sexy?”

When Britney Spears released Blackout, the album that many critics and fans alike would assert is the superstar’s best record, the music arrived on the heels of the mess. Not even one year prior, Spears was photographed shaving her own head, an event that tipped millions of forum comments, media harassment, and fan concern. Despite all of the hubbub, Spears still managed to craft an album full of self-referential, robotic electropop. Naturally, almost all of the reviews, good and bad, made mention of Spears’ public struggle with her mental health.

The Rolling Stone review opens with a reference to Spears’ child visitation rights, and later quips that “she’s gonna crank the best pop booty jams until a social worker cuts off her supply of hits.” The Guardian’s review said that her songs about losing herself in “coital ecstasy” conjured memories of Spears attacking a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella. Pitchfork’s piece compared the pop star to Laura Palmer, one of television’s great lost souls.

Whether or not Blackout made Spears more appealing to audiences is up for debate, but there’s no doubt that the album kept her brand accessible. Spears may have been publicly flailing, but her music was bumping, and the money kept coming in. There were enough dollars to pay off the bloodsuckers on her team, who made sure Spears honored her contractual commitments, despite the artist needing much more than just some encouragement to get back in the vocal booth.

Read more at The Daily Beast.