Image via Complex Original
Practitioners of Iggy Azalea schadenfreude had a big reason to lol yesterday when Britney Spears fired back at her comments regarding the relative bricking of their song "Pretty Girls." While she didn't address Iggy directly, the timing of this tweet is too coincidental to not be a thinly veiled shot at Iggy. The Internet was ablaze in hailing Britney as the ultimate Shade Queen, and for good reason: the veteran pop star has a long and storied history of throwing both subliminals and straight-up shots at fellow pop stars, ex-boyfriends, and anyone in general who wants it. #YouWantAPieceOfHer? Well, be careful what you ask for. Here are the five best times Britney stepped in the ring and handled someone who tried to bring it to her.
Avril Lavigne
Brit-Shade: On the perception that Avril Lavigne stole her teen-pop crown: "Avril doesn't really dance, but whatever. It's weird. My third album sold as much as her first one, which is very funny to me because everyone thought it didn't do that great." This is 50 Cent-level numbers shunning right here.
[via W Magazine, 2003]
Justin Timberlake
Brit-shade: In response to Justin's infamously un-subtle "Cry Me a River" video, particularly the Spears doppelganger whom he spends the creepy clip stalking, Brit responded, “The last time I looked in the mirror, I didn’t think I really looked like her." Then she deemed it genius, with a caveat: "I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally. But that was a great way to sell the record. He's smart. [Laughs.] Smart guy." Additionally, she was seen sporting a T-shirt that read "Dump Him" around the same time rumors swirled of JT's new romance with Alyssa Milano.
Ke$ha
Brit-shade: Ever the veteran, Britney isn't quick to give deference to the new class of pop stars. So even though, by that point, Ke$ha had written Britney a banger and hopped on the remix, that didn't stop Ms. Spears from "accidentally" referring to her as "Keisha" during an episode of X-Factor. Absent-minded slip or did Ke$ha's old shots on "Styrofoam" ("Britney who?") get back to her?
Christina Aguilera
Brit-shade: The decades-long beef between Britney Hatfield and Xtina McCoy is storied, but hands down the best moment of shade from Brit's side was this detailed encounter that they had in a club back in '04. "She comes up to me in a club in front of all these people and tries to put her tongue down my throat!" Spears claimed. "I say, 'It's good to see you,' and she goes, 'Well, you're not being real with me.' I was like, 'Well, Christina, what's your definition of real? Going up to girls and kissing them after you haven't seen them for two years?'" Kisses are reserved for the real ones only. Like Madonna.
Simon Cowell
Brit-shade: Britney and Simon's beef blossomed during her stint on X-Factor, but way before they shared a panel, Britney made her dislike of the snarky American Idol judge very clear. When Simon said "...Baby One More Time" would've been a hit no matter who sang it, Britney later responded that if she were a contestant on AI she'd tell him to take his "advice" and "shove it." She even implied that the mere chance of running into him would be the downside of living in London. No surprise that their time shared on X-Factor didn't end well.
[via EW]
