Stigma

There is a stigma attached to being a Britney Spears fan.  Those who like her are stereotyped: girls are dumb and boys are gay.  Very simplistic.
Many people are embarrassed to admit they like her.  And if her name is brought up in conversation, they will rarely speak their true feelings about her.  It may not seem like much (it's only Britney), but it shows how so many people are afraid to be themselves.
Thanks to silly generalizations, we've made it difficult for people who don't follow social norms to be open about who they are and what they believe in.  It's easy to like something that everyone else likes.  It's easy to be someone who everyone else already is.  There are no funny looks if you're a heterosexual male who finds Heidi Klum attractive.  People don't give sideways glances to girls who gush over Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp.
But life isn't that simple.  Not everyone fits into a neat, little box.  For every heterosexual guy who listens to Lil Wayne or Green Day, there's one guy blasting "If You Seek Amy."  For every girl listening to Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga, there's one girl with a weird haircut listening to David Bowie.
So, when faced with the dilemma of handling these "weird, out of the box" people, we have two choices: except them for who they are or shame them back into the box.  It's no surprise that most people choose the latter option.  It's much easier to ridicule someone than it is to accept their differences.
Kids in school are bullied for this very reason: their classmates can't/won't accept them for who they are, so they resort to teasing.  It takes patience and understanding to fully comprehend why people are the way they are.  Why does the heterosexual male listen to Britney Spears?  Why does the homosexual male like extreme fighting/boxing?  Why does a girl shave half her head and listen to Depeche Mode?  Why ask these questions when you can just make jokes?
Many people claim to live in the box marked "normal," yet what is normal exactly?  The person teasing you about your Britney obsession might go home every afternoon and watch Hannah Montana.  The person who calls you a queer and a homo, might spend his/her nights having homosexual fantasies.
There's a stigma attached to being a Britney Spears fan.  There's a stigma attached to a lot of things.  You either ignore it or you let it dictate your life.  You can be ashamed, you can hide in the corner, you can listen to her music on your headphones alone in your room, or you can be proud, proud enough to blast her music like the guy down the halls blasts his Kanye West.
There are always two choices in every situation.  You have every right to follow societal norms.  Blend in.  Go unnoticed.  Be timid.
There's a stigma attached to being a Britney Spears fan.  But who said you had to give a fuck.