Features

By Kilian Fichou

BRUSSELS — You’re stuck in lockdown but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit a tropical island, a space station or have games night with your friends — certain video games have filled the need of the world’s confined for a bit of distraction, adventure and socialising and achieved unexpected success during the pandemic.

Animal Crossing

No adversaries or competition in “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” which came out in March for Nintendo’s Switch console. Instead players explore an island, collecting fruit and making tools and furniture, trading with others, as the seasons slowly change. 

This version of the game certainly hit the spot with players hungry for a bit of light-hearted diversion. It powered to the top of the sales charts in the United States in March 2020, and was among top sellers in other countries as well. It was the number two title in Europe for 2020 overall, according to GfK.

“The smashing success of Animal Crossing is explained by two factors: One is an underlying trend towards family games and the other is the short-term factor of the confinement,” said Nicolas Vignolles, head of the association of French video game publisher association SELL.

He said parents suddenly confronted with being confined with their children looked to video games to find options for family entertainment, and that “Animal Crossing was an ideal game for parent-child interaction”.

Nintendo’s chief in France, Philippe Lavoue, has acknowledged the firm’s lucky timing of releasing the game just as many people were needing an escape.

“But we were happy to have helped confined people feel less lonely and to escape mentally,” he told the French newspaper Le Figaro.

Among Us

The success of “Among Us” in 2020 was a big surprise for the industry as the title drew little attention when was originally released in 2018. 

But its developers at US studio Innersloth kept refining their concept, which paid off when some prominent game streamers on Twitch began to play it on the platform in mid-2020.

By November the game had half-a-billion players, according to Superdata, which monitors the gaming industry.

The online multiplayer game takes place on a space ship. Most people are crewmates but several are imposters who are out to kill or at least block crewmates from carrying out their assigned tasks. Lively debates take place as crewmates seek to unmask the imposters.

The game’s popularity has even seen US lawmakers join in matches broadcast on Twitch in an effort to reach young voters last year. 

For French game publisher Nicolas Vignolles it is the exchanges between players that explains the game’s popularity.

“Among Us at the intersection of social networking and video games,” he said, noting that nearly one in two gamers in France say that video games help them create social relationships.

“That didn’t exist before... This underlying trend has accelerated with confinement,” said Vignolles.

Ring Fit Adventure

If working out and playing video games are usually two contradictory activities, “Ring Fit Adventure” brings them together. 

The game works with the Switch console, whose controllers are slotted into a Pilates ring and a leg strap. 

Once equipped, players can fight against monsters or be guided through fitness routines by the television.

The closure of gyms along with lockdowns fuelled a spike in sales, leading to shortages last year after consumers snapped up four million units between October 2019 and July 2020.

FIFA 2021

The halt to many football matches and the postponement of the Euro championship may have sparked interest among fans to play virtually. According to GfK, FIFA 2021 from Electronic Arts was the best-selling video game in 2020.

Board and card games

If chess boards and Uno cards graced the tables of many households more frequently during lockdowns, their video games versions did as well.

A sign of that is a collection of classic board games for Switch was among the top sellers for the console in France last year, Nintendo told Le Figaro.

“The big lesson of confinement was that video games have broken definitively the stereotype of a game that can cause people to withdraw and become isolated,” said Nicolas Vignolles. 

“They were an incredibly effective antidote to isolation.”

The smallest and most affordable of Chinese manufacturer Changan’s cars and crossovers available in Jordan, the compact Alsvin saloon is also the most fun daily driver. An unpretentious but accomplished B-segment saloon not to be overlooked in a segment that includes the Nissan Sunny, MG 5, Kia Pegas, Honda Civic and Ford Escort among many others, the Changan Alsvin is a convincing, if less known alternative pitched at the value end of the segment, with its equipment, space, comfort, warranty and rewarding driving experience counting in its favour.

Contemporary lines

An attractive enough contemporary design the Alsvin features plenty of sharp creases and the use of convex and concave surfacing that has been popular across the auto industry since Chris Bangle’s mid-2000s design era at BMW. The Alsvin also features slim swept back headlights and overlapping wavy character lines — not too unlike Hyundai — and prominent sill accentuation at its flanks to lend it a sense of forward motion, and features a relatively rakish roofline and high waistline and rear deck, as is the current general trend.

And as is de rigueur for most mainstream car brands, the Alsvin ticks the right box with the use of a vast and complex corporate face grille. In the case of Alsvin, the grille uses sharp angles and is pinched at the bumper and expands out to a full width lower intake, reflecting designs used across much of the Changan range, and somewhat reminiscent of Lexus designs. Meanwhile, and behind its widely spaced grille slats, the Alsvin is powered by a naturally-aspirated transverse DOHC 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine.

Progressive delivery

Progressive and perky in delivery and character, the Alsvin’s refreshingly conventional naturally-aspirated engine develops 105BHP at 5,500rpm and 107lb/ft torque at 4,500rpm. Driving the front wheels through a 5-speed automated dual-clutch gearbox, the Alsvin’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine is tractable and eager from idling through to redline, pulling confidently and building up output in linear fashion, with good throttle control and responses, as a bonus. This allows one to easily and precisely dial in or pull back power to accurately regulate cornering grip at the driven front wheels.

Though not a performance oriented car by any measure, the Alsvin’s eager engine and quick and crisp throttle and gearbox shifts are quite rewardingly engaging and entertaining in a segment that isn’t always so. That said, the Alsvin’s engine and gearbox work well with its light estimated weight of just under 1.1 tonnes, and provide good responses, pulling with commitment from low-end, flexibly in mid range and willing right to its rev limit. The headline results are estimated at around 12-seconds through 0-100km/h and a 180km/h top speed.

Responsive ride

Proving light on its feet and crisp in responses during a brief test drive opportunity, the Alsvin seemed to have something of the fun characteristics of driving a small car briskly. Succinct through lever-actuated manual mode or auto gear shifts, the Alsvin also proved surprisingly crisp and eager on turn-in, with its front wheels gripping well, and its light steering delivering quick, direct responses. Eager and willing to change direction without fuss during the few quick corners encountered during test drive, the Alsvin’s handling seemed alert and agile.

Nippy and manoeuvrable, the Alsvin seemed to also deliver reassuring cornering stability and decent body lean control, while parking and negotiating busy traffic proved easy and stress free. Riding on 185/55R15 tyres that delivered a forgiving ride and good steering accuracy, the Alsvin’s ride comfort is another quality in its favour. Dispatching bumps, lumps and imperfections smoothly and comfortably, the Alsvin seemed settled on rebound and stable at when cruising, with just the right level of ride and cabin insulation to keep it refined but not boring.

Compact comfort

A practical, affordable and honest compact daily driver, the Changan Alsvin is an undemanding, agreeable car, priced at JD14,000 on the road. Easy to manoeuvre and drive with good sightlines, despite its high waistline, the Alsvin is ergonomic and spacious enough for larger drivers, with a comfortable driving position, and user-friendly controls within easy reach. Rear space is decent for its segment, but without a rear armrest, while its un-specified boot space is generously wide and long, and is accessed through a more vertically-oriented boot lid.

Pleasant and airy, if not luxurious inside, the Alsvin’s unpretentious cabin design is busy but uncomplicated, and features good in-segment materials and fabrics, albeit with some smatterings of hard plastics. Meanwhile, its round side air vents have a sporty flavour, and its 7-inch infotainment is contemporary in its dash top mounted position. Reasonably well equipped, the Alsvin comes with electronic stability and traction control, hill start assistance, ABS, dual airbags, USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, A/C, remote central locking, power windows and more, including a 5-year or 150,000km warranty.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.5-litre, transverse, 4-cylinders

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 5-speed dual clutch automated, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 105 (107) [78.5] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 71BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 96BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 107 (145) @4,500rpm

Specific torque: 98Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 132.4Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: approximately 12-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 180km/h (estimate)

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 8.4-/4.9-/

6.2-litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 45-litres

Length: 4,390mm

Width: 1,725mm

Height: 1,468mm

Wheelbase: 2,535mm

Kerb weight: 1,095kg (estimate)

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/torsion beam

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/drums

Tyres: 185/55R15

Price, on-the-road, with comprehensive insurance: JD14,000

By Dr Tareq Rasheed,

International Consultant and Trainer

Healthy relationships are pillars for personal and professional success and development. Yet, relationships are built and you are the engineer. Have you mastered the necessary tools and techniques?

A relationship is a connection between two or more parties for mutual benefits that satisfy the needs of each party. The parties could be persons, companies or even countries. Here are the four keys to a successful relationship:

1.Mutual agreement to begin the relationship, except of course in parental relationships. Children do not choose their parents but mothers and fathers agreed to start a relationship as husbands and wives 

2.Each party has responsibilities and obligations to satisfy and achieve if the relationship is to continue positively 

3.A verbal or written contract that connects the parties 

4.Time limit — every relationship has an end, whether resignation or firing, retirement or death. Nothing lasts forever, except our relationship with God

There may be advantages to being alone, like managing your time, space, priorities, health, opinions, values, actions and habits. But no one can live by themselves, even with all the money, tools, techniques and resources.

Basics to a healthy relationship

1.Being giving in the relationship. Taking without giving leads to trouble. Love, care and cooperation are central to a healthy, thriving relationship

2.Understanding the needs of the parties in the relationship and trying our best to satisfy the needs of the other party while taking care of ourselves

3.Allowing space and time for each party to feel free in making choices and setting priorities

4.Having a win/win mindset for the relationship to be positive, even when facing problems in the relationship

Human growth pyramid

Relationships follow a growth curve from dependency and independency, reaching interdependency: 

•Dependency: when we were children, we were dependent on our parents and the concept of “you” dominates the relationship

•Independency: when we get older, as teenagers, we need to feel independence, which is a logical period of growth. Here the concept of “I” becomes dominant

• Interdependency: this requires a high level of maturity and here the idea of “we” is the prevailing mentality

Conflict resolution

Can we be in a relationship without facing troubles, problems or disagreement? It is rare to have a relationship without conflict unless we are angels, not humans! 

Types of conflict resolution: 

1.Amicable settlement: the parties discuss openly together without any outside or external interference. This is the best and most preferable method since it keeps relationships positive and safeguards all secrets in the relationship 

2.Negotiation: this is a formal method of resolving a conflict between parties that can also keep the relationship positive 

3.Arbitration: in this very formal method, each party in the conflict assigns other parties from their side to resolve the dispute. This is preferable between organisations and countries

4.Court: by the time a relationship gets to this point in conflict resolution, it means: 

•The relationship ends and fails to continue

•More time is needed for resolution

•It’s more expensive

•No secrets are kept

Tips for healthy relationships

1.Freedom to choose is key, whether it’s the freedom to choose one’s field of study or career or freedom to choose one’s partner

2.Giving is the main ingredient in a relationship, but remember it must be mutual

3.Love enriches any relationship; remember that love is a verb — give and show love in action for the relationship to grow

4.Mutual support means the relationship enables you to achieve more than you ever could on your own

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

Becoming
Michelle Obama
New York: Crown Publishing/Penguin Random House, 2018
Pp. 426

In lively prose, Michelle Robinson Obama shares her formative life experiences, personal and professional, in a memoir that is obviously intended to be inspirational. Well before she met Barack Obama, much less became America’s First Lady, Michelle was an overachiever and a planner. She was never naïve about obstacles that stood in her way, but she was always determined to map out strategies to overcome them. 

When Barack was elected US president, she knew that as the first African-American first lady, she would have to work extra hard to be broadly accepted: “I understood already that I’d be measured by a different yardstick... I was as vulnerable as ever to the unfounded fears and racial stereotypes that lay just beneath the surface of the public consciousness… If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” (pp. 284-5)

While not losing her concern for expanding opportunities for the Black community, she launched a series of initiatives that would address the needs of American children and women at large. Most visible was the White House vegetable garden which aimed to promote healthy food, in order to curb the prevailing crisis of childhood obesity. Another programme involved mentoring and developing leadership skills in high school girls, while a third aimed to support military families, especially those of absent or war-disabled veterans. 

As a result, Michelle carved out a First-Lady role for herself comparable only to that of Hillary Clinton, though she studiously avoided involvement in policymaking, not only to avoid the right-wing attacks Clinton’s work had evoked, but also due to her aversion to politics and firm adherence to her own priorities. Despite many conflicting demands on her time and energy, Michelle had early on determined that her first priority was her family and giving her daughters as normal a childhood as possible, and she doggedly stuck to that commitment.

It is worth noting that Jill Biden, wife of the then vice-president, partnered with Michelle in some of these initiatives. It is also hard not to contrast Michelle’s extensive work with the paltry record of the first lady who served in the interim between the Obama and Biden administrations!

Some may read this memoir hoping to uncover the “inside story” of the famous couple, but they will find that while there are many personal details, no “secrets” are revealed: the Obamas are portrayed pretty much as they have always presented themselves. If, however, one wants to discover the source of Michelle’s dynamic personality and drive, one need look no further than the first few chapters which describe her childhood and youth on Chicago’s South Side, generally a poorer area of the city. The Robinsons were not desperately poor, but they had to ration their expenditures carefully and save up for extras. What they were rich in was love, mutual support, a proud and close-knit extended family, and her parents’ admirable way of raising Michelle and her brother, Craig. Both parents led by example, working hard and quietly doing the right thing without any fanfare. Her father, despite suffering from MS which caused his health to deteriorate drastically over the years, never missed a day of work, while her mother returned to working outside the home to help finance her children’s education. 

Most importantly, they encouraged independence and initiative by treating their children like adults at an early age and leaving them to make their own decisions: “My parents talked to us like we were adults. They didn’t lecture, but rather indulged every question we asked, no matter how juvenile. They never hurried a discussion for the sake of convenience... They also never sugarcoated what they took to be the harder truths about life.” (p. 25)

Michelle’s family background is a powerful counter-example to negative stereotypes of the Black community that have persisted over the years, conjuring up images of broken homes, welfare mothers, absent fathers, too many children, etc., while ignoring the role that the US system has played in breaking up Black families via mass incarceration and denying welfare to women and children if there was a man in the household. Michelle’s own trajectory as lawyer, public servant, wife, mother, First Lady, and advocate for women and children in particular, further reinforces this counter-example, showing that a different outlook is possible.

The manner in which Michelle was raised is also key to her many accomplishments: gaining degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School and landing a position at a top Chicago law firm, before deciding to seek a career in public service, a decision which she attributes largely to Barack’s influence. This led her into significant positions in Chicago’s City Hall, the University of Chicago and its Medical Centre, as well as the non-profit, Public Allies. Her upbringing also prepared her for all the hard work and adjustments required as she campaigned vigorously for Barack’s election to the Illinois Senate, the US Senate, and the presidency. In all this, she never lost her own identity, but rather expanded it, though she frankly shares the anxieties and self-doubt she felt when confronted with an unfriendly press corps, the growing influence of the Internet and social media, where outright lies could spread as easily as the truth, and attacks by right-wing politicians who targeted her as a surrogate for her husband.

NEW YORK — Dating apps offer a snapshot about a person’s life, but in the space of a few weeks, a surprising health issue has emerged as a dealmaker or heartbreaker: Have you had the coronavirus vaccine?

Some are bragging they have gotten the shot in order to better their chances, while others are using it to justify what one singleton described as “the most 2021 rejection ever.” 

But can you trust every lonely heart who claims they’ve been inoculated against COVID-19?

Samantha Yammine, a scientist who often talks on Twitter about health issues, says she’s received messages about “dudes on dating apps claiming they’re ‘totally safe for close contact’ because they have received the vaccine”.

Of course, most young people using dating apps are not in vaccination priority groups at the front of the line, so some see having gotten the shot as a sort of golden ticket for hooking up.

“Basically, getting the vaccine is the hottest thing you could be doing on a dating app right now,” said Michael Kaye, global communications manager for OkCupid.

When asked on Monday, 43 per cent of some 1,500 members of another site, Coffee Meets Bagel, said they were right now more attracted to someone who had been vaccinated.

Journalist Sarah Kelly, who has not been able to get the shot, said she really got “the most 2021 rejection ever”.

A man on a dating site wrote her: “Ur real cool however I found someone who is also Vaccinated!! So I think we both wanna minimise our bubble n stay safer in these trying times!!!”

Idea for new dating app?

Dozens of people on social media have even suggested — some jokingly, others in the spirit of pandemic entrepreneurship — that a new dating app be created for the vaccinated.

Those who haven’t been jabbed with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna elixirs need not log in.

Kimberly Te, who hasn’t been inoculated yet, was contacted by one guy who emphasised he had received his first dose. But for Te, that status is not really all that important.

“I didn’t care because it seemed like he had only gotten the first dose so I did not consider him safe from COVID-19,” she told AFP. 

“I wouldn’t really care if someone on an online app said they were vaccinated because for the most part, I don’t know these people, so I have no reason to trust them during this pandemic.”

Cristina Vanko — who participated in Moderna’s clinical trials — says she has seen more and more people on dating sites posting about being vaccinated, but she too is not exactly swayed by it.

“There’s still little research regarding transmission amongst vaccinated individuals,” she said.

“For me, there’s no difference between vaccinated or not because I’m vaccinated,” she noted. 

“It’s more of an ‘are we both aware of the risks and do we hold the same values about safety?’ question.”

‘Wake-up call’

For university student Brittany Biggerstaff, people who say they are vaccinated are not more attractive because of the shot — but it does mean they have put their faith in science.

“It gives insight on a potential partner’s political views and knowledge about science and medicine,” she said.

Dawoon Kang, the co-founder of Coffee Meets Bagel, agrees.

“It kind of signals that this is somebody who actually is being careful with COVID-19, which probably gives people a little bit more peace of mind,” Kang told AFP.

In a deeply divided United States, where there is a vocal contingent of anti-vaxxers, even love is a battlefield.

On the online discussion platform Reddit, one user, echoed by many others, mocked “all these women being guinea pigs for big pharma”.

Another vaccine sceptic chimed in: “I’m using people’s stances on vaccines and masks to determine if I even wanna associate with these mindless fools following everything they’re told.”

Vaccination or not, after nearly a year of living in some degree of social isolation because of coronavirus restrictions, some people in the dating pool are eager to get out there.

As Valentine’s Day approaches on Sunday, that urge is even more palpable. 

“People are more active this Valentine’s Day than ever before,” said OkCupid’s Kaye.

“After a really challenging year, people are tired of being alone and want someone by their side, even virtually, during these challenging times.”

Kaye noted that women “especially are more active than ever! They’re sending ‘Likes’ at a significantly higher rate than men”.

Since the pandemic took hold in the United States, dating sites have been forced to innovate, offering more video chat options, which had not been a major feature, and more virtual happy hour mixers.

Chat and e-mail exchanges have become even more prevalent before couples actually meet up. Random hook-ups are on the wane.

“We have a lot of people telling us, ‘I’m reflecting a lot more about what kind of partner... that I actually want to meet, I’m being more honest and open with my matches about what I really want,’” said Kang.

For Kang, whose site Coffee Meets Bagel encourages the forging of “authentic connections”, the pandemic has been a “wake-up call” for many.

Among the platform’s users, more than 90 per cent say they want to meet a long-term partner, she says, noting: “That’s the highest we’ve ever had.”

LONDON — Scientists on Thursday described a drug which hijacks the body's appetite system as a potential "game changer" in treating obesity after research showed it could cut body weight by up to 20 per cent.

The results from the large-scale international trial, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed more than one third of those who took the drug semaglutide lost over one fifth of their body weight.

The study, which involved almost 2,000 people in 16 countries, also showed three quarters of those who took the drug lost more than 10 per cent of their bodyweight. 

The drug is currently used to treat diabetes and works by altering appetite regulation to reduce calorie intake.

One of the main authors of the study, Rachel Batterham from University College London, called the study a "major breakthrough".

"No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss — this really is a game changer," Batterman said. 

"For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery."

Duane Mellor, a dietician from Aston Medical School in Birmingham, central England, told the BBC the drug "provided a useful option".

But he cautioned that "weight loss will still need lifestyle change, and that any medication or change in lifestyle can bring potential risks and side-effects".

The study's British authors highlighted the impact improved treatment of obesity could have on health outcomes for a range of illnesses, including COVID-19, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancers.

"This drug could have major implications for UK health policy for years to come," said Batterham.

UK health experts have drawn a line between widespread obesity and the high death toll in the country during the Covid pandemic. 

With more than 114,000 deaths, Britain is among the worst-hit countries in Europe by the disease.

The evidence from the trial has been submitted for the regulatory approval of semaglutide as a treatment for obesity in Britain, the European Union and the United States.

NEW YORK — The legal agreement barring Britney Spears from managing her own life and finances is now older than the pop star was when the public met her as an effervescent 12-year-old on the Disney Channel — and controversy over who steers her life is starting to boil.

Spears, 39, has lived under the strict arrangement since her infamous unravelling, which in 2008 led a California court to place her under a unique legal guardianship largely governed by her father, Jamie.

The conservatorship — the precise reasons for and terms of which are buried in sealed or redacted court documents and non-disclosure agreements — has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, especially after Spears cancelled her second Las Vegas residency in 2019 and went on indefinite professional hiatus.

Now a feature-length documentary on FX produced in partnership with The New York Times probes the popular narrative on Spears, who soared to global fame as a teenager on a burst of hits — including her breakout “Baby One More Time” — before a dramatic downfall saw her become a paparazzi punching bag.

The film emphasises the role of the early-2000s celebrity journalism machine in her collapse, depicting Spears as a relentlessly pursued media target — the blonde, bubbly, wildly successful American princess whose dirty laundry triggered the schadenfreude of a nation.

The #FreeBritney movement, fervent fans who believe she’s being held against her will, gained steam this year as the artist pushed to remove her father from the conservatorship’s charge.

Its advocates — who many people, including Jamie Spears, dismiss as conspiracy theorists — say the star is begging for help via coded messages, emojis and outfits on her eccentric Instagram account.

They’ve claimed vindication as Spears has signalled gratitude, and after her court-appointed lawyer told a judge that “my client has informed me that she is afraid of her father”.

The judge opted not to immediately remove Spears’ father as head of her estate, but did appoint financial company Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator.

Jamie Spears temporarily stepped back in 2019 as head of her person — a role that gave him power including over her medical and mental health decisions — after he suffered a ruptured colon.

The pop icon for now is not seeking to scrap the conservatorship — an arrangement normally intended for the elderly or infirm — but rather turn it over to professionals.

She would like the licensed conservator who now holds provisional control over her person to stay on, and would like a bank to oversee her estate.

The next court hearing is set for February 11.

‘Cheap shots’

The documentary “Framing Britney Spears” suggests the performer who once ruled global pop was used by some of her handlers and pummelled to the point of emotional ruin by an exploitative media environment, in which images of her went for upwards of $1 million.

The film employs the extensive cache of footage of the star who came of age as mediatised consumption of celebrity, including gossip blogs and reality television, exploded — and when mental health was taken far less seriously.

From her days as a spunky pre-teen on “Star Search” in 1992 — when host Ed McMahon awkwardly asks her if she has a boyfriend — to her infamous head shaving in 2007, the documentary traces a path that suggests a magnetic superstar who became voiceless in her own life, and whose image became everyone’s but her own.

It shows Spears as a teenager, needled over her virginity (or lack thereof). 

Prominent primetime newscaster Diane Sawyer pushes her to explain why she “did something” to cause fellow pop celebrity Justin Timberlake “so much pain” in their high-profile breakup, a situation that saw Spears cast, as one interviewee put it, as “the school slut”.

Sawyer also appeared to justify comments from Maryland’s former first lady — who said “if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.”

“Because of the example to kids and how hard it is to be a parent,” Sawyer says to a visibly distressed Spears.

And Matt Lauer — the now-disgraced former morning television personality — pushes the star to tears in a 2006 interview in which he challenges her maternal fitness while she’s pregnant with her second child.

During her prolonged mental breakdown that followed her 2006 divorce and custody battle, Spears was captured in gas stations barefoot and driving with one son in her lap.

In another infamous scene, as her cousin begs photographers to leave, Spears takes an umbrella and begins bashing a paparazzo’s vehicle.

“It was a money shot,” that photographer says of the spectacle in the documentary.

Moya Luckett, a media historian at New York University whose research includes celebrity culture, says the “cruelty” Spears experienced today is diffused across a social media landscape in which stars can curate their own images.

“You become your own producer,” Luckett told AFP, pointing to stars like Taylor Swift or Beyonce who have seized the conversation on Instagram, or by airing their own documentaries.

As her legal battle picks up fascination with Spears is likely to persist, especially as fans — many of them in their 30s and 40s, who adored her in their youth — take her plight as their own.

“Everything that she goes through resonates with the kind of frustrations a lot of us have, in a neoliberal world, where we’re told you can do it all if you want to,” Luckett said. 

“And then find out that we really can’t.”