Everyone was more worried about that tank photo than Billie Eilish

Over the years, Billie Eilish has been candid about her struggles with body image and dealing with the internet making comments about what she looks like.

Now, Eilish is further opening up about her body image struggles that started long before she was in the world’s spotlight. As well, she is revealing why her loved ones were more concerned about that tank top last year than she was.

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In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Eilish truly gets a lot of things out in the open. In particular, the Grammy Award-winning singer further opens about her struggles with body image and those body-shaming comments that emerged last year.

In October, paparazzi captured photos of the “Therefore I Am” singer in a tank top and shorts. The images eventually spread online and led to criticism from body shamers. Eilish soon responded to the criticism in a sly video showing off all of her Grammy Awards.

As it turns out, Eilish’s close friends and loved ones were more concerned about the criticism than she was. Why? Well, it all had to do with her history of self-harm.

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“I think that the people around me were more worried about it than I was because the reason I used to cut myself was because of my body,” she tells Vanity Fair. “To be quite honest with you, I only started wearing baggy clothes because of my body.”

For Eilish, she is glad the incident happened now rather than when she was younger.

“I was really, really glad though, mainly, that I’m in this place in my life, because if that had happened three years ago, when I was in the midst of my horrible body relationship—or dancing a ton, five years ago, I wasn’t really eating,” she continues. “I was, like, starving myself.”

In the interview, she also recalls resorting to taking diet pills when she was just 12 years old.

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“I remember taking a pill that told me that it would make me lose weight and it only made me pee the bed—when I was 12,” she says. It’s just crazy. I can’t even believe, like I—wow. Yeah. I thought that I would be the only one dealing with my hatred for my body, but I guess the internet also hates my body. So that’s great.”

Back in December, Eilish revealed how she turned that tank top photo into something positive for fans. Although receiving the unwanted criticism was difficult, she hopes fans will see that everyone has different body shapes and they should all be accepted.

“There’s this picture of me running from my car to my brother’s front door on like a 110 degree day in a tank top,” she said. “And people were like, ‘Damn, Billie got fat!’ And I’m like, ‘Nope, this is how I look, you’ve just never seen it before!’…I love having kids relate to me and tell me that I make them feel comfortable in their bodies. If I can do anything, I want to do that.”

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Earlier last year, Eilish shared a short video about body positivity during her WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? tour. Then, in May, Eilish released the full video for fans to watch. In it, Eilish sheds her baggy clothes while delivering a moving message about body positivity. She also talks about the double standards she deals with every day.

“The body I was born with, is it not what you wanted? If what I wear is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I am a slut.”

 

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Elsewhere in the Vanity Fair interview, Eilish talks about her upcoming album. She reveals that there is not one single thing she would change on the forthcoming LP.

“[The album] feels exactly how I want it to,” she says. “There isn’t one song, or one part of one song, that I wish was this or that I wish it was that.”

Fans got another taste of her new music just last week. After nearly two years of waiting, Eilish’s collab with Rosalía “Lo Vas A Olvidarfinally arrived alongside an emotional music video.

“Lo Vas A Olvidar” marks the first new music to arrive from Eilish in 2021. Last year, she released a carefree video for “Therefore I Am” which followed up No Time To Die” and “my future.”

Her collab with Rosalía is kickstarting what potentially could be a big year for Eilish. In December, Eilish seemingly confirmed that her next musical era is officially on the way. As well, her upcoming documentary The World’s A Little Blurry is set to arrive on Feb. 26. Last month, viewers got their first look at what they can expect from the documentary in its first trailer.

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Eilish spent a good portion of 2020 working on her next album with her brother FINNEAS. She previously revealed that she has no plans to release the LP during the coronavirus pandemic. However, she did share that fans shouldn’t expect to hear any songs about the COVID-19 crisis on the new album.

“It’s not like we’re making songs about quarantine, we’re just in a different mindset than we would be otherwise,” she said. “And that’s just how everything is. It’s the butterfly effect, it’s like if you hadn’t done this three years ago, maybe you wouldn’t be doing this three years later. It’s just the way that it is. At the same time, this is the most time off I’ve ever had in my life, first of all. And especially since this all started like five years ago.”

Although her next album doesn’t have a release date yet, Eilish is looking forward to fans finally hearing it when the time is right.

“I’m really, really happy that we’ve been able to make the things that we’re making,” she said. “And I can’t wait for you to hear this shit. I can’t wait to have the world hear. I’m very excited and hopeful for the future.”

Eilish’s full interview with Vanity Fair is available to read here.

What are your reactions to Billie Eilish’s recent comment about that tank photo and the criticism she received? Let us know in the comments below.