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Britney Spears turns 41: See the pop icon’s life and career in photos
USA TODAY
Sept. 28, 2018Updated Dec. 2, 2022, 8:01 p.m. ET

Britney Spears, who turns 41 on Dec. 2, 2022, is a pop icon. But where have the years gone? To celebrate her birthday, we gathered photos from the star's two-plus decades in the spotlight: from her "Baby One More Time" debut to her successful battle for independence from her 13-year-long conservatorship overseen by her father. Scroll through to see her through the years.
HandoutThings when rather well for Brit after that. She followed up the mammoth success of her first album, which sold over 10 million copies, with 2000's "Oops I Did It Again." And so the spangled aughts were born.
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Perhaps one of Britney's most iconic stages was the Super Bowl halftime show in 2001, where she joined Aerosmith, NSYNC and Nelly onstage.
SCOTT GRIES/IMAGEDIRECTThis was also the year that brought us the Performance with the Real Snake at the 2001 VMAs.
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Britney Spears charmed Jay Leno in 2003 with a look at her new tattoo.
Getty ImagesIn 2003, it was quite the moment when Madonna kissed Britney on stage at the VMAs, and then Christina Aguilera, who were both dressed in bridal lingerie.
Getty ImagesBritney looked smokin' during her Onyx Hotel tour in 2004.
Getty ImagesWhich brings us to the Kevin Federline years. Here, the two are pictured in 2006 at a Grammys party.
Getty ImagesBritney married K-Fed in 2004. They attended the premiere of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" together in 2005 when she was pregnant with their first son, Sean.
Getty ImagesIn 2010, she delighted "Glee" fans by making a cameo in an episode entitled "Britney/Brittany."
FOXBy 2016, Britney was back in full control, with a popular residency in Las Vegas and commanding performances at shows like 2016's Billboard Music Awards.
Getty ImagesCut to 2018: At 36, Britney just wrapped her latest "Piece of Me" tour in England.
FilmMagicIn January 2019, the pop superstar announced she was going on an indefinite work hiatus.
CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISIONShe attended with her beau Sam Asghari, who played her love interest in the "Slumber Party" video. They have been together since 2016.
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Spears and Asgari announced their engagement on Sept. 12, 2021. "I can't (expletive) believe it," Spears wrote on her Instagram account below videos showing off the four-carat ring with shocked expressions. The ring has a four-carat round brilliant stone in a platinum cathedral setting and is engraved inside the band with “lioness," Asghari's nickname for Spears, the company Forever Diamonds NY told USA TODAY in a statement.
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It was quiet for Spears until a revelatory new documentary, "Framing Britney Spears" from FX and The New York Times, hit Hulu on Jan. 5, 2021. The doc got fans and celebrities once again talking about the past media treatment of her and the years-long conservatorship that controlled her finances and other important life decisions. As the conservatorship battle continued, more interest in Spears' case launched more documentaries to air from Netflix and CNN.
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Britney's 13-year, state-imposed guardianship incited a fan-led #FreeBritney movement. Here, supporters gather outside the County Courthouse in LA during a hearing in her case on June 23, 2021. She was freed from the conservatorship on Nov. 12, 2021. The star celebrated thejudge's decision on Instagram, writing: "I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen." She has since spoken out several times on Instagram about alleged mistreatment she suffered under her conservatorship by her family members.
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