I'm a fan (and you should be too) because...

...Britney is human and therefore far from perfect, which in a society where "role models" are idolized and "real people" are ostracized, is a refreshing change of pace--to me, at least. From Day One, Britney has been a modern-day "Lolita" and she works that image well; yet for some reason, this was accepted at first by the public at large and then gradually rejected. No one wants to let her grow up, and that's not right; she should be allowed to do whatever she wants as far as image, music, etc. go. Certainly, if she commits a crime or some other adverse action, that needs to be dealt with properly(and has; she lost custody of her children for a reason). But all this extreme attention on her while other, far more important things are going on, is absurd. The paparazzi aren't being held accountable for their actions, most times; and yet every little thing she does is blown out of proportion by comparison.

...she is an excellent dancer and I am in awe of her "scissor kicks"(especially in a form-fitting catsuit, as during her "Onyx Hotel Tour").

...she is a better singer than she's ever been given credit for, with a soft, wispy, pretty, feminine voice; so what if she has a limited range and will never be Mariah Carey or Celine Dion? Perhaps a vocal coach would be helpful for improving technique, strengthening what voice she does have; however.

...until this past year, she always had an excellent work ethic that she was never given credit for, something producers on her current album have mentioned, too(while the album was being worked on).

...she's dealing with myriad personal issues and that has to take precedence over promoting her current album properly--which otherwise, she should be concentrating on.

...generally, she's in excellent shape and has never, that I've noticed, been too thin--avoids glamorizing the anorexic look that so many others(Kate Moss, Calista Flockhart, Teri Hatcher, Nicole Richie, et al) do, something else that she's never been given credit for.

...she's comfortable with her body, unlike so many other women, and doesn't feel ashamed posing nude(in what are usually classy, artsy shots), so why shouldn't she? And she doesn't need Playboy--their layouts are never consistent, anyway; sometimes classy and often slutty. Her recent layout in Allure(Sept. 2007) was very nicely done; too bad, she never did a proper interview for it...

...she truly is "the new Madonna"--she's going through a bad time now, but if she can just get all her personal issues worked out, she'll come out stronger for it, be able to legitimately laugh off her critics and finally move on, in full, to bigger and better things...not unlike Madonna, herself.