Amanda Bynes conservatorship: hearing to end it set for March

The #FreeBritney movement, which helped see Britney Spears released from her “abusive” 13-year conservatorship, has placed the narrative around ‘troubled’ celebrities, their mental health and the role we as the audience play in it firmly into the spotlight.

While it has never been suggested that Bynes’ conservatorship exercised unnecessary control, the very public events that led up to it played out on a global stage. And sadly, like Britney, the tabloid and paparazzi culture that we (perhaps inadvertently) spurred on was at the centre of it.

So after years of being fodder for media scandals, it’s incredible to hear that Bynes has developed a “sustainable routine” and “consistently earns above average grades”. “She lives by the beach, attends school and is enjoying meditation and Soul Cycle classes,” added her lawyer in a statement.

It’s too early to say whether Bynes will ever return to our screens, or to public life at all. But in the age of instantaneous celebrity access and parasocial relationships, it’s important to remember that she’s not just a cultural figure – she’s a real person, with real needs and her own life to live.

Whatever method that grants her safety, happiness, security and fulfillment is all that we should be wishing for.