On her remake of the 1965 Rolling Stones hit “Satisfaction,” Spears refuses to let media messages craft her identity. Lines on “Can’t Make You Love Me” state that fancy cars and money pale in comparison to true love. Puppy love and schoolgirl crushes dominate “One Kiss from You,” “Dear Diary” and “Oops! … I Did It Again.” “Lucky” proves that fame can be empty as it tells of a Hollywood starlet’s loneliness. Spears confidently forges ahead after a breakup (“Don’t Go Knockin’ on My Door”) and cuts loose a guy who treats her like property (“Stronger”). “What You See (Is What You Get)” demands respect by rebuking a jealous beau, but …
Britney also seems to be defending some immodest choices, such as tight dresses. On “Oops! … I Did It Again,” this role model insists, “I’m not that innocent.”
Songs swing from giddy naiveté to self-assured reflections on lost love. It’s bouncy pop that avoids sexual themes. But the Oops! CD cover hints at the volatile duplicity in this 18-year-old star. Bare midriff. Tight outfits. Publicly, Spears projects an incongruous blend of family-and-faith wholesomeness and flirtatious sex appeal (what USA Today called the “virgin hussy thing”) that makes parents wonder what she’ll come up with next.
