Britney Spears has been critiqued for being too sexy, too wild, too careless — but too violent? The pop star's latest music video, for the song "Criminal," takes on a Bonnie and Clyde theme. Spears filmed portions of it late last week in East London, brandishing a fake gun as she pretended to rob a convenience store. After photos leaked, local politicians began demanding that, in light of August's riots, the singer apologize and make a donation to a youth charity, arguing that she's glamorizing gun violence. Is she?
No. This is being blown way out of proportion: "Way to get your knickers in a bunch," says Alexandra Capotorto at Ology. It's not as if Spears has gone on a public campaign extolling the virtues of gun violence. "She was clearly filming a video." The alarmists in the local government should "stop exaggerating" the circumstances "and go have some tea and crumpets."
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