Whether she knows it or not, Britney Spears appears to have echoed the demand for a political movement in the U.S. after reposting a quote to Instagram that calls for a “strike” and the redistribution of wealth. As a result, many are now branding the pop star a “Marxist” and jokingly referring to her as “Comrade Britney.”
Alongside the political message itself, which was not originally penned by the …Baby One More Time singer, the caption she wrote in the Monday afternoon post also seemed to have triggered the new nicknames.
“Communion goes beyond walls,” Spears wrote, adding three rose emojis — which are often used to symbolize Democratic Socialism, according to multiple outlets (including the Guardian).
Though many believe Spears’ intention was to promote the political philosophy, the quote could also be interpreted as yet another simple celebrity response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has continued to have a massive impact on the global economy.
“During this time of isolation, we need connection now more than ever. Call your loved ones, write virtual love letters. Technologies like virtual communication, streaming and broadcasting are part of our community collaboration,” reads the quote from writer Mimi Zhu.
“We will learn to kiss and hold each other through the waves of the web. We will feed each other, re-distribute wealth, strike. We will understand our own importance from the places we must stay. Communion moves beyond walls. We can still be together.”
Zhu caught wind of her message being shared and tweeted that she was “really grateful” to Spears for sharing the quote.
Though Zhu was not tagged in the post by Spears, 38, her name was included in the graphic shared through the musician’s Instagram page.
Within 24 hours of the post being shared, it went viral and “Comrade Britney” was born.
“TBH, Full-Marxist Britney Spears is the kind of surreal dystopian future factoid I can get behind,” tweeted one user.
Here’s what some other Twitter users had to say:
The viral trend comes a month after the Toxic hit-maker broke her foot while dancing for an Instagram video.