The Zone, a new Britney Spears-themed pop-up experience in Los Angeles, is being touted as a must for both lifelong super stans and casual fans alike. The 30,000 square foot exhibit boasts 10 unique rooms, all based on a handful of Spears' most memorable music videos (including, "Stronger," "Circus," and "Piece of Me") and promises to "immerse fans in the life and legacy of the star and redefine 'It’s Britney, Bitch!'"
When you first walk into the pop-up, Felicia Culotta (the teacher from the original "...Baby, One More Time" video) explains how to immerse yourself in the world of Britney. Several of the rooms contain pads where you can swipe a wristband that captures photos or videos of you in various iconic Britney moments. There's one that lets you face off against Britney in a dance battle a la Madonna's scene from "Me Against the Music." A jungle awaits in the "Slave 4 U" room, complete with a massive hand-carved snake with flickering digital eyes. In another room, a phone rings as you leave the "Toxic" airplane cabin, and if you bring the phone to your ear, you hear "It's Britney, bitch!" on the other line.
"She's such an icon and we just really wanted to honor her music and her career," Jeff Delson, co-founder of the production company and creative agency Black Sky Creativ, who produced The Zone with SRExperiences, told PRIDE. "We love experiences and we just really wanted to create an experience where you can step into the world of your favorite artists."
It's clear from the attention to detail and care that Delson is a Britney fan himself. "First time I saw "...Baby One More Time," I was in high school and I was completely blown away," he exclaimed. "I saw her open for *NSYNC on an early tour and I couldn't even believe how incredible she was. Those videos that came out were so iconic. That was at the time where videos were at their peak. There aren't many artists where you can close your eyes and picture all of their music videos and hers, as you've seen, you can create a whole world."
With The Zone, Delson went all in. "No one's ever done it at this level of production for an artist like this so we just had to up the production, up the technology to make it fit her brand." Delson says Britney, who fully endorsed the project, plans to stop by The Zone herself at some point and even gave costumes to display in the exhibit. "She loves her fans so much and she's so excited that her fans get to interact with her music and her brand in a new way."
He adds, "If they're gonna get off their phones and couches, it's got to be a really life-changing experience where you really feel like you're doing something special and it's worth you putting your phone down."
But some fans think it's all a bit toxic, especially in light of Spears' ongoing conservatorship courtroom battle.
"Since her public unraveling in 2008, she has been subject to a court-approved conservatorship—known in other states as a legal guardianship—that gives her father authority over her finances and many personal decisions," the Los Angeles Times reports. "Fans who believe the arrangement is intended to exploit rather than help her have adopted a hashtag and rallying cry: #FreeBritney."
The unusual legal arrangement was pushed into mainstream conversation last year after some vague Instagram captions from Spears about her mental health following her dad's nearly fatal colon rupture, the cancellation of her latest Las Vegas residency, and her co-conservator/LA attorney Andrew Wallet's resignation. (Wallet cited Spears would suffer "substantial detriment, irreparable harm, and immediate danger" if he didn’t step down.)
The #FreeBritney movement is hard to follow and knowing who to trust is difficult to sort through since we are only looking in from the outside. Britney's father Jamie Spears and business manager Lou Taylor have even sued a leader of the digital #FreeBritney movement for defamation. Though she was singing a different tune about the conservatorship a dozen years ago when it began, Spears says she's fine now. "My situation is unique, but I promise I’m doing what’s best at this moment," she wrote on Instagram last year, specifically rebutting the rumors around her conservatorship.
"Despite Spears’ insistence on social media that she is fine and in control of her life, the #FreeBritney machine has developed in ways neither the superstar nor her team can control," continued the LA Times. "It’s become a tabloid staple, a social media obsession. With fans often interpreting celebrities’ actions through a personal lens, Spears has become a vessel for discussing the place of women in entertainment, mental illness, and father-daughter relationships."
YouTuber and Spears superfan Shane Dawson took the allegations into account when deciding if he wanted to visit The Zone.
The replies were split.
None— Shane Dawson (@Shane Dawson) 1580247688
Dawson concluded he wouldn't be attending.
Oblivious, I stumbled right into the line of fire of the #FreeBritney movement. After sharing my own images from The Zone, some who are boycotting the pop-up came after me on Twitter.
We reached out to The Zone coordinators for a response but did not receive one by the time of publishing. We'll update the story if and when we get one.
The Zone pop-up experience opens to the public on January 31 in Los Angeles. Five collections of Britney Spears' clothing will be available to the general public, while an exclusive merch room is only available for ticket holders. See more images from The Zone below.
