Whenever an artist takes a residency in Las Vegas, it seems their career is pretty much on hold. Artists like Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Boyz II Men are locked into contracts that don’t allow for touring and relegate them to being some sort of house band on display.  The same can be said of the pop star Britney Spears. However, somewhere between her mental breakdowns and Vegas stint she’s become a role model for feminists everywhere.

Spears announced in 2013 that she’d be doing a Vegas residency and her fans went nuts. She would reportedly make $15 million by the end of it all – roughly $300,000 per show. While that looks good on paper, she still had to deal with the pre-show critics.

Ever since the 2007 incident where she shaved her head and went on a rampage with an umbrella, people have been very skeptical about Spears’ career choices. Remember the horrendous VMA performance of “Gimme More?” The damage done to her reputation all but assured that people were going to hate on the Vegas show before it even began. Fast forward to now and her residency is so far a hit.

Very few attendees have walked away unimpressed, and it has proven to be a real game changer for Spears, and that’s where the feminism comes in. She sings “Work Bitch” every night and does just that every day. A single mom, she takes care of her two boys, shows up to rehearsal on time and then puts on a great show night after night. People can call her many things, but they can’t say she’s lazy.

Spears goes to show that women can rise above the adversity brought upon by scrutiny and thrive after their personal storms.