Billie Eilish reflects on growing up with public scrutiny: “I can’t win”

Billie Eilish has spoken out about the time she was objectified after a photo of her wearing a tank top went viral. 

The 17-year-old is known for her signature baggy look, which she has repeatedly explained her reasoning behind in the past. 

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“I never want the world to know everything about me. I mean that’s why I wear big baggy clothes,” she said in a Calvin Klein campaign. “Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.”

Then, she was photographed wearing a white fitted tank top under a baggy sweatshirt. The attire differed from her usual baggy clothes, sparking tweets that sexualized Eilish’s appearance.

When people began objectifying Eilish after photos surfaced of her in a fitted tank top, fans immediately came to her defense.

Now, in an interview with Elle, Eilish got very candid about what it was like seeing her body trend online. 

“I was born with fucking boobs, bro. I was born with DNA that was gonna give me big-ass boobs,” she said. “Someone with smaller boobs could wear a tank top, and I could put on that exact tank top and get slut-shamed because my boobs are big. That is stupid. It’s the same shirt!”

“My boobs were trending on Twitter! At number one! What is that? Every outlet wrote about my boobs,” Billie Eilish continued. “It makes me mad. I have to wear a big shirt for you not to feel uncomfortable about my boobs.” 

Later in the interview, she discussed turning 18 in December and how she’ll be able to show more of her body without being judged. 

“I’m gonna be a woman. I wanna show my body. What if I wanna make a video where I wanna look desirable?” she said. “I know people will say, ‘I’ve lost all respect for her.’ I can’t win.”

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As previously mentioned, Eilish has talked quite a bit about her fashion choices and how she chooses to present her body to the world. More recently, she spoke to Pharrel Williams in V Magazine about how people use her non-feminine style to attack those who choose to dress more feminine. 

“(Even) from my parents, (the) positive (comments) about how I dress have this slut-shaming element,” Eilish said “Like, ‘I am so glad that you’re dressing like a boy, so other girls can dress like boys, so that they aren’t sluts’. That’s basically what it sounds like to me. And I can’t (overstate how) strongly I do not appreciate that, at all.”

Eilish elaborated, saying she just dresses the way she does because it’s what she likes and she’s not trying to diss other women. 

“The way I dress is very not necessarily feminine or girly, or whatever. I don’t say, ‘Oh, I am going to wear baggy clothes because it’s baggy clothes’, it’s never like that. I wear what I want to wear,” she said. 

“I have always supported and loved when a woman or a man or anyone in the world feels comfortable in their skin, their body, to show just whatever they want,” she continued.  “I don’t like that there’s this weird new world of supporting me by shaming people that don’t want to dress like me.”

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She also discussed liking to dress in “loud” looks because she likes the attention. 

“I’ve always been a person that wants to dress loud. I’ve always wanted people to look up at me, I’ve always wanted people to notice me. I’m just walking around dressed how I always wanted to but now there’s a name attached to that.”

What do you think of Billie Eilish discussing her viral photo in this interview? Sound off in the comments down below!

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