Here’s how Billie Eilish turned getting body shamed into something positive
For Billie Eilish fans, it’s a very important time of the year. This week, Vanity Fair unveiled their fourth consecutive annual interview with Eilish where they ask her the same questions and look at her past responses.
During the highly-anticipated interview, Eilish addresses those body shamers who criticized her look after that tank photo went viral.
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Eilish is known for her unique take on style and the baggy clothes she often wears. She previously shared the real reason why she chooses to wear non-frame hugging attire.
“I never want the world to know everything about me. I mean that’s why I wear big baggy clothes,” she said. “Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath. Nobody can be like ‘Oh, she’s slim-thick, she’s not slim-thick, she’s got a flat ass, she’s got a fat ass. No one can say any of that because they don’t know.”
However, Eilish had faced various criticism for her body over the years. Back in 2019, she was objectified online after a photo of her in a tank top emerged. Many social media users saw the photo and made the unwanted comments Eilish has tried to avoid throughout her career.
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During her WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? world tour, Eilish addressed the body shamers in a moving visual. In the video, 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.”
More recently, 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.
in 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body. pic.twitter.com/pMRFdZZ7mE
— GamesNosh (@GamesNosh) October 13, 2020
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Now, Eilish is further addressing the criticism she received for those photos. During her highly-anticipated “Same Interview” chat with Vanity Fair, she had a few things to say to those body shamers out there.
“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 says. “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!'”
Despite the hateful comments she received, the 18-year-old has managed to turn the situation into something positive.
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“I think yeah, the reason people are looking up to you is because you’re you,” she continues. “They’re not looking up to you so that you’ll tell them something that you never actually tell them. They’re looking up to you so that you tell them something that you would tell them yourself. 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.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Eilish also reveals that she is suffering from an identity crisis. During a performance in 2019, Eilish recalls feeling like she was performing under a persona rather than who she actually is.
“For a while now I have been really having an identity crisis a little,” she says. “I think it was December. I did some radio show performance, and the entire show I felt like I was pretending to be Billie Eilish. I completely wasn’t looking at myself as myself. I was just totally seeing it from not my own perspective and it was so weird. It happened multiple times at like award shows and stuff — I felt like a parody of myself.”
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Eilish is currently hard at work on her next album, but she has no plans to release the LP during the coronavirus pandemic. However, she is very excited for fans to hear the record when the timing 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.”
Earlier this month, fans got a taste of her new music with her carefree video for “Therefore I Am.” Along with working on new material, Eilish also has an exclusive documentary on the way. Arriving in February 2021, The World’s A Little Blurry offers a look into Eilish’s skyrocket success over the years and how she became a Grammy Award-winning artist at the age of 18.
As well, Spotify just revealed that Eilish is the platform’s most-streamed female artist in the world for the second year in a row. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Halsey accompany her on the list.
Eilish’s full interview with Vanity Fair is available to watch below.
What are your reactions to Billie Eilish’s comments on her identity crisis and body shamers? Let us know in the comments below.
