This week, Bustle did a cover story on TikTok star Addison Rae, who opened up about her newfound fame, dancing, and more.
However, one part of the interview sparked a debate online — that is, when Addison was asked if she watched Framing Britney Spears, the New York Times documentary that covered both Britney's legal battles with her conservatorship and the years of paparazzi and media harassment she faced.
"I did. I think that’s a really interesting thing to think about," Addison told the interviewer, who reported that Addison was "aware of the parallels." She went on to say, “I definitely can see how that is an overwhelming life. People do come up with narratives around you that aren’t necessarily true. I’ve kind of dealt with that a lot, people being involved in really personal aspects of your life.”
She added, "In the early 2000s, the press controlled what people saw of you. Now we can have that chance to do it ourselves. I did make a decision to put some of those things out there."
Some people were not happy that any type of comparison was made between the two of them, considering the intense level of paparazzi harassment that Britney faced.
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Keep in mind, it's been reported that Addison calls the paparazzi on herself.
This tweet with 140,000 likes kinda sums up the backlash of it all: "A TikTok dancer comparing herself to the most impactful artist of the 21st century you just can't make this up."
A TikTok dancer comparing herself to the most impactful artist of the 21st century you just can’t make this up https://t.co/t4dGfthIRJ
addison rae, a girl who calls the paparazzi on herself and got famous from stealing dances from talented poc thinks she is like britney spears, a girl who worked tirelessly to sell 36 million records before she turned 20
@piercespears I don’t know anything about Addison but couldn’t she literally just turn her phone off and disappear? Britney was literally stalked within an inch of her life for a decade by 10-30 people at all times.
@PopCrave @bustle You can relate to Britney??? How Addison? When have you ever had a conservatorship and had control over your life?
@defnoodles this feels disrespectful, addison posts dancing tiktoks, not denying the stress that comes of being in the public eye, but britney doesn't have control over her own life
Others, however, defended Addison:
@snakachann @brxdygaga Yeah I feel like a lot of ppl are misrepresenting what she said. She said she relates to how Britney was treated. Picked apart by ppl much older than her. It’s ironic bc the internet kinda proved her point. I’m not a fan of hers but ppl kinda went off.
@hentaipaladin @piercespears Darling she doesn’t need to have the same level of fame that Britney has just to RELATE w/ her experiences. It’s like listening to a song. You can relate to a song even if u dont live in its exact lyrics story. I don’t like adeson but y’all are taking this out of context. 🙄
She’s empathising w Britney.. not comparing. People are so quick to jump on Addison istg.