In 2000, Tina Fey made some spot on remarks about Britney Spears during a portion of Weekend Update called “Women’s News.” Fey spoke about Britney’s controversial performance at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a tight, flesh-colored outfit.

Fey said, “I worry about the lack of positive role models for today’s young girls. For example, Britney Spears caused controversy last month when she wore this skimpy outfit at MTV's Video Music Awards. Critics called the outfit inappropriate and say it's just another example of Hollywood sexualizing young girls. But I say, ladies, give it up. Britney's ass looks good. Look at that ass. That is a cherry bomb. You gotta look at that thing through a hole in a paper plate. Britney, in about five years that whole area is gonna blow, so enjoy it now. Have it photographed as much as possible. Rub it with fine oils and liniments. You will miss it when it's gone.”

Boy was Fey right about that one.

Five years later Britney gave birth to a few kids, and started to act crazy. In 2006 she was photographed, several times, not wearing any underwear while getting out of Paris Hilton’s car. Sure, those photos have been viewed millions of times, but they would have been viewed billions of times in 2000, when Spears was at her finest. Add a couple years, and a couple of vaginal births, and the world was shocked to see some sort of weird, bald alien living under Britney’s skirt.

Another year later and the Internet were full of photos of Spears overweight with a shaved head attacking paparazzi with an umbrella. In the same year she was drawing up more controversy for another MTV performance, but for being awkward, out of breath and disoriented. Critics deemed that her career was dead.

After some time off, and some time in a mental hospital, she got her life back together. She slimmed down, recorded a new album and went on tour. Britney was back.

Which takes us to today. Spears is back in the news for some shocking photos. She isn’t nude, and she isn’t assaulting anyone. She’s back to looking like the Britney Spears America fell in love with.

Sort of.

Spears modeled for some photos for a new advertisement for the fashion company Candies. At first look, nothing seems to be odd about the photo. Britney looks good. Very good, especially compared to the photos taken from 2005 – 2008. But, like most photos used in the fashion industry, the pics have been heavily airbrushed. We would not know any different, but Spears has released the original photos as well.

And although the entire world has seen Britney at her worst, literally at her worst, it takes a lot of guts for Britney to release these unaltered photos to the public — especially after how hard she has worked to get back into decent shape.

The modified photos show that a Photoshop expert slimmed her thighs, made her waist a little smaller, and made her butt just a bit tighter. He or she also removed some cellulite, covered up a “tramp stamp,’ brushed off some dry skin around her ankles and took away some neck rolls.

Britney is now 29-years-old, and she is finally showing signs of maturing. The same girl who has been criticized for making teen girls into sex symbols is now showing the pressures celebrity culture puts on women to look perfect. Little by little, Britney’s image is improving.

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