{"id":41602,"date":"2021-12-02T22:57:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T22:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=41602"},"modified":"2021-12-06T20:27:23","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T20:27:23","slug":"happy-birthday-britney-spears-grazia-looks-back-on-the-pop-princess-influence-on-fashion","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/happy-birthday-britney-spears-grazia-looks-back-on-the-pop-princess-influence-on-fashion\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday Britney Spears! Grazia Looks Back On Her Influence on Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Britney Spears (Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We owe Britney Spears<\/a> more than we know. As today\u2019s It-girls usher in a resurgence of late-90s and Y2K trends<\/a>, it’s best to remember that Britney did it first. Giving credit where credit\u2019s due, Spears served as a catalyst for the majority of these throwback style references\u2014she drew the map. There\u2019s much to be said of the early-aughts tastemaker, but throughout the height of her immense fame, the pop princess<\/a> spearheaded many of the nostalgic fashions we covet today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toeing the line between childhood innocence and a sultry stage persona, Spears garnered an immense amount of scrutiny in the public eye. As a child, the Louisiana native came up in the Mickey Mouse club alongside stars like Christina Aguilera<\/a>, Justin Timberlake<\/a>, and Ryan Gosling<\/a>. In 1998, her hit single \u201c…Baby One More Time\u201d was released, catapulting the 16-year-old starlet to an unimaginable caliber of celebrity status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up in the limelight, and in the misogynistic media-sphere of the era, Spears\u2019 image teetered between a wholesome, virginal figure and a ruthlessly lambasted sex symbol. With her debut music video tapping into the suggestive schoolgirl trope, her degree of innocence was publicly contested, as was whether or not she was a suitable role model for young children. Some argued her potent sensuality would have a detrimental effect on the youth.\u00a0<\/span>As a little girl growing up at the dawn of the new millennium, this writer rocked braided pigtails, tied knots in my t-shirts, had Britney’s face plastered on my lunch box, and knew every word to the pop legend’s first three albums. And I like to think I turned out just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relentlessly questioned on her choice of clothing, Spears said during a 2001 Good Morning America<\/em> interview, \u201cEverybody\u2019s going to have an opinion. You can\u2019t please everybody but as long as you\u2019re comfortable, I say wear what you want to wear.\u201d While Spears may have pushed the boundaries and grew into her sexuality through her sartorial choices, no one would even bat an eye at her ensembles by current standards. While once upon a time, crop tops, belly rings<\/a>, and ultra low-rise<\/a> jeans may have caused puritanical parents to shake in their boots, today\u2019s hottest stars have taken the shock value out of many of these trends Spears put into motion, and made them commonplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Britney Spears at the 30th Annual AMAs held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA., January 13, 2003. Photo by Kevin Winter\/ABC\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Grammy-nominated Olivia Rodrigo skyrocketing to pop stardom this year, the singer-songwriter is constantly taking pages from the book of Britney. From braided pigtails<\/a> to retro newsboy caps, the teen pop star\u2019s inspiration is obvious. <\/span>In the music video for her song \u2018Brutal,\u2019 Rodrigo has an archival fashion moment in the very same Spring\/Summer 2003 Roberto Cavalli chiffon corset dress<\/a> donned by Spears nearly a decade earlier. A-listers from Kendall Jenner and Normani, to Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Hailey Bieber<\/a> have all referenced the millennial superstar through their wardrobe choices, with the latter even paying tribute to Ms. Spears on Halloween<\/a> this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber (@haileybieber)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n