Nine years ago, this was Britney Spears performing her new single "Gimme More" for the first time on the VMAs stage:
Tonight, this was Britney Spears performing her new single "Make Me..." for the first time on the VMAs stage:
And the contrast of the two couldn't be more inspiring.
Nine years ago, this was a recently divorced 25-year-old mother of two who took the stage and performed a concerning out-of-sync spectacle:
Tonight, this was a 34-year-old happily single mother of two performing a perfectly in-sync spectacle:
Nine years ago, this was a 25-year-old paparazzi obsession who'd just shaved her head because she was "sick of people touching her," trying to live up to her past self:
Tonight, this was a 34-year-old former paparazzi obsession who managed to survive a complete destruction of privacy, living up to her past self:
Nine years ago, this was a 25-year-old Britney Spears amid a public crucifixion, simply attempting to do what she loves to do the most:
Tonight, this was a 34-year-old Britney Spears, destroying the same stage that nearly destroyed her career nine years ago: