Oops… Did Britney Spears Shut Down A Loyal Fan?

Did Britney Spears just rightfully shut down an Instagram troll or quash a well-meaning fan? Let's start at the beginning. The People's Choice Awards were handed out earlier this week, and Spears won the newly created honor of Favorite Social Media Celebrity. As you know, the deciding votes behind the PCAs belong to the fans. So naturally, Spears' loyal following was a little upset when she wasn't in attendance to accept her award. Her absence confused people, because she had previously RSVP'd (literally) via Twitter. Spears attempted to appease her fans and thank them for the accolade with an Instagram post.

She was sick, the singer claimed. It happens. But one follower was still not convinced. The user, BottomHeart, apparently wrote a quick Direct Message to Spears on Instagram expressing disappointment at her absence. To everyone's surprise (and by everyone, we mean all the users of a Spears-dedicated forum, and now, all of the internet), the Toxic singer appears to have written back.

Here is the user's supposed original message.

Harsh. But she's the princesses of pop, so maybe you should show a little respect, even when trolling her Instagram account? But is this actually her? Fans on the forum are questioning the legitimacy of the screenshots, claiming their pop idol would never lob such biting comments at a fan. Or, um, even have the time to read all of her DMs? But if it did happen, then this poor user really effed up. And it's perfectly possible that Spears really did read the message and respond — she did just get an award for her mastery of social media. As if making amends, Spears has since uploaded a motivational quote to her account.

My only critique of this message, be it real or not, is that she didn't open with, "It's Britney, bitch."