"It's a bit insensitive to use #BritneySpears' public breakdown and subsequent head shaving as the basis for a prank." A social media user posts.

​

25 February 2021 by Fachana Techamaneewat

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Beauty YouTuber James Charles is being accused of using Britney Spear's public meltdown where she shaved her head as an inspiration to prank his own fans into believing that he, too, had shaved his head.

 

Let's rewind.

 

For those who don't know, a documentary titled "Framing Britney Spears" was recently released which focused on Britney and her struggles throughout the height of her fame. It also focused on the time she shaved her head and the likely reasons behind it.

 

The documentary quickly gained the public's attention, and soon, "We are sorry Britney" started trending on Twitter as the view of Britney's life was brought back into the public's eye, but this time, in a positive way.

 

Nine days later, James Charles posted an Instagram photo of him with a shaved head.

 

 

How did fans react?

 

Fans accused James of being "insensitive" for using Britney's meltdown as an inspiration for a prank. (This comes just days after his "pregnancy" video backlash where people also accused him of being insensitive.)

​

​

I "Do you not think it's a bit insensitive to use #BritneySpears' public breakdown and subsequent head shaving as the basis for a prank? Or was this just so you could put Britney in the video tags? #disappointed"

​

 

Many also accused him of his ignorance about alopecia, citing that disease is "not a prank" used to gain views.

​

​

I "How is this supposed to be fun? Living with alopecia for years, that’s so insulting. Being bald can be a disease and many people don’t accept it. Because you want to do a prank video you just use this condition to make people laugh? Wtf. In absolutely no point this is cool or funny. Disease is NOT a prank and you can’t just use it to have views."

​

​

I "Hi, this is not a trend. 🙂 Maybe list resources or tag creators with alopecia and give them a shout out and some visibility. Bald is beautiful, but doing this as a "prank" or to get some laughs out of is disrespectful for those with hair loss for many reasons."

 

 

James talks about the Framing Britney documentary

 

In his YouTube video titled, "I Shaved My Head Bald", James explains that the bald prank had been on his calendar for months, long before the documentary aired. In the same video, he acknowledges the Framing Britney Spears documentary and calls it "phenomenal".

 

He reveals that although he had always been a fan of Britney, he hadn't known the "backstory" to her breakdown. He adds that it "completely changed the way" he viewed Britney.

 

​

I "The brand new Britney Spears documentary just came out called Framing Britney and it was so phenomenal,. Oh my god it was so interesting to watch and I also feel like completely changed the way that I personally view Britney."

 

 

I "I’ve always been a fan but I never really knew the backstory of everything that went down in 2007."

 

 

James then repeated the Framing Britney Spears documentary's view that when Britney shaved her head in 2007, it was not a "crazy moment", but an attempt to remove power from the paparazzi and those in the industry who was attempting to control her.

 

 

I "I feel like a lot of people saw Britney’s whole moment in 2007 as her full breakdown. And I really liked the way the documentary kind of painted the picture and showed what was really going on behind the scenes."

 

​

I "Britney shaving her head was not a crazy moment. It was [Britney] taking the power away from paparazzi and other people that were trying to control her in the industry."

 

​

Meanwhile, James talks about how he was nervous to put on a bald cap because his hair has always been his "source of confidence". In a series of Instagram stories, he admits that he "hates" how he has allowed his hair to "determine his self-worth".

 

He continues to say that hair loss is a "serious" thing that people have to deal with, whether it's genetic or cancer-related. He adds that his mother was a cancer survivor, and in these situations, people cannot remove the bald cap at the end of the day.

 

In the end, James tells fans that being bald is "beautiful" and that people are beautiful "no matter what hairstyle you are rocking."

 

​

I "Hair loss is a serious thing that a lot of people deal with whether it be genetic like I might experience one day, or surviving cancer like my mama did."

​

​

I "Those are situations where you can’t just take a bald cap off at the end of the night. And I just feel like it’s an important message to teach people everywhere that being bald is beautiful and you are beautiful no matter what hairstyle you are rocking."

​

​

I "We are so much more than our hair [...] we are beautiful no matter what."

​

 

Overall, James says the entire experience has made him feel so "strong" and "empowered" and that it helped him in his personal mental health journey.

 

 

Meanwhile, people are noting the difference in the way the paparazzi treated James compared to Britney Spears back in 2007.

 

When the paparazzi first saw James' shaved head, they were initially surprised, but then they began praising him for his new haircut, saying that he gave them "supermodel vibes". Fans compared this to Britney and how the media "crucified" her for "years".

 

 

I "Wasn’t James out here in the streets glorified by paparazzi for a fake shaved head or shaving his head right after Framing Britney Spears. Yet Britney was Crucified for years for shaving her head."

​

​

In other news, James opens up about whether he's only into "tall people", whether he wants kids, and how he respects it when a guy has the confidence to "shoot their shot" with him.

​

​

Read More: James Charles' TOP 10 MOST VIEWED YouTube Videos

​

Read More: James Charles TRENDS After Playing Roblox With Quackity

​

Read More: Tana Mongeau Is DATING David Dobrik?: 'Rumors Are True'