Read Britney Spears' beautifully candid open letter to her LGBTQ fans.
'You see, it's actually you that lifts me up.'
"This is my letter of love to all my LGBTQ fans," begins Britney Spears in an emotional message in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month.
Her words — written in large, bubbly penmanship (the exact kind you might imagine coming from Spears) — says a lot about why she means so much to her gay fans. And, most notably, how the feelings have always been mutual.
Photo by Michelangelo Di Battista/Sony/RCA via Getty Images.
In the heartfelt letter — published by Billboard as part of a larger Pride series — Spears explained how her LGBTQ fans have helped her and her sons become better people.
"Continuously throughout my career," Spears wrote, "you’ve always been so vocal about what a positive impact I’ve had on you — that I’ve instilled joy, hope, and love in you at times when there was none. That my music is an inspiration. That my story gives you hope. But I have a secret to share w/ you."
"You see, it’s actually you that lifts me up," Spears confessed.
"The unwavering loyalty. The lack of judgment. The unapologetic truth. Acceptance! Your stories are what inspire me, bring me joy, and make me and my sons strive to [be] better people. I love you."
Photo by Dennis Van Tine/Star Max.
Spears has been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community for years.
The singer often uses her platform to spread awareness about human rights issues, fighting for marriage equality, taking a stand against LGBTQ youth bullying, and rallying for equal bathroom access for transgender people in recent years.
The Pulse LGBTQ nightclub massacre — the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history — hit close to home for Spears.
Photo by Rob GrabowskiInvision/AP.
"I have not been able to find words to express how I feel about what happened in Orlando," she wrote on Instagram last June, shortly before helping create a musical single, "Hands," to benefit the victims and their families. "We need to accept and love people for who they are."
Spears' actions empowering the LGBTQ community may speak louder than her words. But they also make each line of her Pride love letter that much more powerful.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."