In recent months, Britney Spears' conservatorship and her fight to end it have dominated tabloid headlines around the world.

For many, news of the pop star's virtual imprisonment came as a surprise.

But for longtime fans, Britney's testimony only confirmed their worst fears.

The legal battle between Britney and her father, Jamie Spears, seems to be intensifying by the day, and we're sure the wait for the next hearing seems interminable to both daughter and father.

Perhaps that tension might help to explain why Britney has been posting topless pics on her Instagram page in recent days.

Don't get us wrong -- Brit is a grown woman, and she's free to post whatever she wants on her social media pages.

(Or at least she will be, once she's no longer under her father's thumb.)

And Spears' clever hand placement keeps the pics from violating Instagram's bizarre no-nipple policy.

So what's the problem?

Well, in the past, Britney has used her Instagram page as a means of secretively communicating with the public.

Many were initially dismissive of fans who thought that Britney was sending coded messages to followers with her Instagram posts, but those theorists have since been proven right.

So now, Britney's 33 million followers are quick to take notice when she posts content that's different from the sort of stuff that she usually shares with fans.

And since Brit went from never posting topless photos to posting the same type of content over and over, well ... it's not hard to see why so many are convinced she's trying to tell us something.

The situation started innocently enough with Britney's topless bathroom selfie.

She followed that up with more semi-nude shots, including the instantly-viral one in which she's cupping her own breasts and rocking a pair of denim shorts.

Now, Britney has posted a video version of that photo, and fans are beginning to grow concerned.

While many believe the singer is sending a message, others simply suspect that she's experiencing mental health issues.

"I live for the day the conservatorship ends and Britney can finally tell us the truth about what’s been going on," one commenter wrote on Brit's latest post.

"Feel these are being posted my someone else..." another wrote.

"Something suspicious is going on," a third chimed in.

Some fans tried to help Britney out with gentle reminders, including the one who wrote:

"Hey girl, you are beautiful. We saw this one already.:

And many, many others, expressed their feelings in two simple words, writing:

"FREE BRITNEY!!!"

In all likelihood, Britney's Instagram content will not affect the outcome of her next hearing or the judge's evaluation of her mental instability.

Still, there's significant concern among fans that she may be sabotaging her own case.

But the fact remains that a 39-year-old woman should be allowed to post whatever she wants on the internet.

And if Brit's latest pics prevent her from being freed from her conservatorship, then she probably never stood a real chance in the first place.