Britney Spears Responds to Fans for Calling Police Over Knife Dance

Britney Spears has found herself at the center of public scrutiny after posting a video of herself dancing with knives on Instagram. This episode, combined with a history of mental health issues and legal issues, has prompted fans' concerns about her mental health.

It started when Spears posted an Instagram video of herself dancing energetically with two huge kitchen knives. Her dance, along with evident injuries in the shape of a bandage on one arm and a cut on her thigh, immediately alarmed her devoted fan base of 42 million followers. Spears, who was wearing a bikini and appeared to be smiling, struck the knives together while performing a series of spins, per The U.S. Sun.

This video, which was inspired by Shakira's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, led a flood of concerned fans to contact authorities. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department was called to her home to check on her well-being after learning about the video. One of the callers was said to be someone who had previously conducted a welfare check on the pop star and expressed concern about the knife dance.

Spears addressed her fans on Instagram once more in response to the rising worries. She informed her followers that the blades in the video were just props. She wrote in the caption, "I know I spooked everyone with the last post, but these are fake knives that my team rented from Hand Prop shop in LA. These are not real knives. No one needs to worry or call the police. I’m trying to imitate one of my favorite performers Shakira … a performance I was inspired by !!!  Cheers to us bad girls who aren’t afraid to push boundaries and take risks!"

The singer, who has struggled with mental health concerns for years, was placed under conservatorship, which gave her father, Jamie Spears, significant power over her personal and financial matters. The legal arrangement, which lasted more than a decade, became a focal point for fans and activists who began the #FreeBritney movement in support of her independence and autonomy that has been well documented.

Following the termination of her conservatorship, various safety recommendations were made to protect her safety, including keeping sharp objects like knives away from her. According to an insider, Britney maintains such artifacts in her house, including her bedroom, as a kind of self-protection, fearing a return to institutionalization.

This underscores Spears' continued problems in regaining control of her life, as well as the difficulty of combining her right to artistic expression with worries about her mental health. It also highlights the public's continuing obsession with her life, as well as the blurred limits between fame and her mental well-being.