Baggy clothes are the hallmark of Billie Eilish’s cool style, and have also allowed the 19-year-old singer to avoid unnecessary comments about her body. However, in October 2020, a paparazzi photo of Eilish in a skinny top and shorts went viral online, spurring a whirlwind of comments about her weight and leading the musician to start a conversation about “normalizing real bodies”. In your new Vanity Fair cover story, Eilish opened up about the photo and how it contributed to her longstanding struggles with body image and mental health.
“I think people around me were more concerned with [the photo] than me, because the reason I used to cut myself was because of my body, “said Eilish.” To be quite honest with you, I only started wearing baggy clothes because of my body. “
The singer detailed that the viral moment would have been much more difficult for her to deal with in a more vulnerable moment in her early adolescence years. “If it had happened three years ago, when I was in the middle of my horrible bodily relationship – or dancing a lot, five years ago, I wasn’t really eating. I was, like, starving,” she said. Vanity Fairfrom Keziah’s Weir. “I remember taking a pill that told me it would make me lose weight and only made me pee in bed – when I was 12. It’s crazy. “
“I thought I would be the one to deal with my hatred for my body,” continued Eilish. “But I think the internet hates my body, too. This is great.”
With nearly 75 million followers on Instagram for her merit, it’s clear that a large part of the internet loves Eilish for her style, talent, understanding and more – but negative comments can certainly sound louder than positive ones. When Weir suggested that the Internet can hate the bodies of all women, Eilish replied sternly, “The Internet hates women”.
Eilish has already taken a stand against body shame with a short film entitled “NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY”, posted on YouTube in May 2020. Originally used as a video interlude in Where Do We Go? The world tour, which stopped after three shows due to the pandemic, the clip shows the musician slowly undressing from a black sweatshirt to a bra before submerging herself in a puddle of black liquid. “You have opinions about my music, about my clothes, about my body,” says Eilish in the film’s narration. “Some people hate what I wear; some people praise it. Some people use it to embarrass others; some people use it to embarrass me.” She continued, “Nothing I do goes unnoticed. So, while I feel their eyes, I disapprove of their sigh of relief. If I lived for them, I would never be able to move.”
If you or someone you know is looking for help with mental health problems, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). If you or someone you know has an eating disorder and needs help, call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237, send a text message to 741741 or chat online with a volunteer Helpline here. And IIf you or someone you know is considering self-harm or having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text CASA to Crisis Text Line at 741741.