LOS ANGELES, CA. (BRPROUD) – Most of us have faced moments when attempts at humor or even honest communication have gone horribly wrong.

This week, Britney Spears finds herself in such a situation.

Known as the Princess of Pop for taking the pop music scene by storm in the 1990s, this Louisiana-raised singer is facing a barrage of backlash for one of two recent social media posts that made headlines this week.

While some pop culture aficionados are focused on Spears’ recent Instagram post that featured a controversial joke, others are addressing the birthday wish she sent to her two estranged teenage sons on Instagram.

Did Christina Aguilera really unfollow Britney Spears this week?

The first social media comment was posted Tuesday, September 14 when Spears published an image featuring a quote attributed to the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

The quote was a joke that said, “I found there was only one way to look thin: hang out with fat people.”

It was accompanied by a comment from Spears that said, in part, “I mean if I had Christina Aguilera’s dancers I would have looked extremely small… I mean why not talk about it ?? Don’t you think my confidence would have been a bit better if I could choose where I lived, ate, whom I called on the phone, dated and who was on stage with me !!!”

The post and Spears’ accompanying comment sparked a significant amount of backlash and some former fans claimed the post moved them to unfollow her on social media.

According to Pop Crave, even Christina Aguilera unfollowed Spears after the 40-year-old Louisiana singer’s comment appeared to body-shame both Aguilera and her dancers.

As the drama continued to unfold, Spears reportedly stepped in to address what was happening with a new Instagram post that said, “By no means was I being critical of Christina’s beautiful body, it is what it is !!! I flew to see her show once and the main thing I noticed was the difference of our people on stage !!!”

Spears went on to explain that she admires Aguilera, saying, “By no means did I even mention Christina, look at my post !!! I was inspired by her show and she is a beautiful woman of power … Thank you @xtina for inspiring me !!!”

The singer also said her post wasn’t meant to body-shame anyone, but to project her own insecurities, which were rooted in the way she was treated when she lived under her father’s conservatorship from 2008 to 2021.

She concluded by thanking her supporters.

Shortly after addressing the backlash, a number of Instagram users responded with positive expressions of appreciation for Spears, Buzzfeed News reports.

A birthday wish with undertones of love and sadness

On a somewhat lighter note, Spears also posted birthday wishes to her two sons Tuesday, September 13.

The teens had birthdays that were only days apart. Sean Preston turned 17 Wednesday and Jayden James turned 16 Monday.

She expressed her love for them and posted photos of the boys that were taken in 2021.

Sadly, Spears and her sons are estranged, in part due to a disagreement about how she chooses to use her social media platforms.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, Spears’ younger son Jayden gave reporters an example of why he’s upset with his mother’s choices when it comes to social media. The teen said his older brother specifically asked their mother not to post his photos, and she did anyway.

This incident apparently caused a major rift in the family and appeared to play a role in both of her son’s decisions to live with their father on a full-time basis.

After the interview aired, Spears issued a public apology to the boys via an Instagram video.