And to literally no one’s surprise, the best pop queen ever has stolen the championship. One Ms. Britney Spears, the badest pop icon to ever grace this planet, is our reigning champ in our Pop Diva Bracket.
To anyone who helped play the game and seal the deal, thank you. I know from personal testimonies both in OTF and elsewhere that this Pop Diva Bracket was difficult. How does one even begin to list the most influential women artists in the past 60-ish years? That list would certainly be longer than 64 names and then be forced to narrow it down?!?!? Inconceivable. Rude, actually. But brackets are made, all in fun, to be narrowed down.
The Final Four was a doozy: Beyoncé versus Britney Spears and Adele versus Amy Winehouse. I know two particular members of OTF were royally upset that a certain T-Swizzle did not go further. To be frank, I saw Bey going all the way (rhyme on purpose), but our championship was between two awesome pop artists: Adele and Britney Spears.
To every single talent on our list,
You were selected because you mean something. You, out of the millions of people in this world, found a spark of something magical inside of you and worked so fucking hard to set that fire blazing. You worked against all odds; the patriarchal landscape of the music industry, the media constantly trying to drag you down, and an overwhelming celebrity lifestyle that forced you to the edge—but you did not give up. You persisted. She persisted. And you continued to give your lifeforce to your art, all for us to feel something alongside you. You glowed so we can glow.
To Adele, our runner-up,
What a beautiful, inappropriately funny soul you are. Though I doubt any of us would be able to understand you in person with that insane accent (at least, right away), I definitely want to drink with you. Remember when you came onto the scene with 19 and just blew every single person away? Hearing your first album was like hearing a child sing opera on America’s Got Talent or American Idol—jarring but bewilderingly beautiful and captivating. How could that voice come from that person? How could those lyrics come from that person? You wowed us, Adele. And you continue to do so—25 is one of the best albums ever made.
And to Britney, our reigning queen of pop,
You. Are. Incredible. That’s from all of us, but Aimée specifically wants to share:
I'm pretty sure Britney Spears was my first favorite singer. Well, after Raffi, at least. I remember begging my elementary school bus driver to turn up "Oops...I Did it Again" and being crushed when I was flatly denied... (She just didn't understand what good music was). Through all the ups and the many, many downs, I stayed a Britney fan throughout my life. One of my fondest memories is seeing her live during the Femme Fatale tour (where the openers were Jessie & the Toy Boys and Nicki Minaj—what a show!). My heart goes out to her for everything she's been through but seeing how many of us out here want her to find freedom and happiness brings me so much joy and pride. The Britney fandom cannot be topped. And that's why she is THE pop diva.
And I just need to say: You were (still are!) a pop inspiration. A true, overnight sensation, you changed little girls’ worlds forever. You showed us what it was like to be a celebrity and how to do it well. You pushed the envelope for sure but weren’t an asshole; you won all of our hearts with your charm and grace. We wanted to be you—the Aphrodite dancing queen with a giant snake and six-pack abs and the craziest, seemingly most-fun lifestyle ever. But you also showed us something few have: Your breakdowns. The ugly part of the business and that, no matter how internationally famous, the world is still built to dismantle women’s autonomy. You’re a victim of a ruthless system and still Britney Spears.
You have the backing of millions of people who believe you, who respect you, and who will fight for you to have better because you are light in a world so often plagued by darkness. Nobody puts Britney in a corner. #FreeBritney
Show Your Support: Native Land Digital
We are on stolen land. You and I, right here, right now, are on land that was never ours to take. Yet, many don’t know this. Even less care. But learning—and acknowledging—is half the battle and Native Land Digital aims to have everyone take that first step. Native Land Digital is a free, online tool to learn of the original Indigenous territories in a specific area. The project, which started in 2015 as Native-Land.ca, strives to “create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources” like their comprehensive and interactive map and the Territory Acknowledgement Guide.
Land is sacred and, as Native Land Digital stresses, it is not easy to draw lines that divide land into chunks that delineate who “owns” a different part of it. In reality, land is “not something to be exploited and ‘owned,’ but something to be honored and treasured.” To honor the sacredness of the spaces we’ve built our lives on, the spaces we often take for granted, we acknowledge and extend our hearts to the land’s original owners and to Mother Earth herself, for bearing the weight of humanity.
Shelby and Lizzy acknowledge the Kaskaskia, Myaamia, and Hopewell land they live on. Shelby also acknowledges the Shawandasse Tula people and their land.
Sydney acknowledges the Munseen Lenape and Wappinger land she lives on.
Aimée acknowledges the Merrick land she lives on.
Kayla acknowledges the Kiikaapoi, Jumanos, Wichita, and Tawakoni land she lives on.
Blaze acknowledges the Ramaytush, Ohlone, and Muwekma land she lives on.
Daily Intention:
Today I will…
Listen to our Pop Divas playlist and maybe make your own! Mine is titled “that bitch.”
Here’s some nifty buttons for you to press, enjoy: