Billie Eilish Opens Up About the Dirty Side of Fame
Right now, we live in a time where artists in the music industry aren’t shying away from speaking their minds about a number of issues. Be it politics, misogyny, mental health, the list can just go on and on. And among the many artists who’ve been vocal about their experiences is Billie Eilish, who’s constantly pointed out the oversexualisation and constant judgement those in her line of work have to face.
And so, more recently, Eilish once again brought up her body image issues in an interview. She explained that a lot of what she struggles with stems from the ways she’s been treated by her exes.
Billie Talks About Public Perception
“I have never felt desired. My past boyfriends never made me feel desired. None of them. And it’s a big thing in my life that I have never been physically desired by somebody,” Eilish said. And so, that’s part of the reason why she enjoys stepping out in baggy clothes, she doesn’t want the attention on her body, she doesn’t want people looking at her and constantly judging her.
“But that doesn’t mean that I won’t wake up one day and decide to wear a tank top, which I have done before,” she continued.
Just a couple weeks ago, the young star officially released a short film titled, ‘Not My Responsibly’. The film showed Billie stripping down to a spoken word track that addressed public perception and the endless scrutiny one has to face, day in and day out. It was a bold move and arrived with quite the shock value when it premiered on the opening night of her Miami concert. Because for many, this was the last thing they expected Billie Eilish to do.
The singer touched upon this very clip and she had this to say, “Sometimes I dress like a boy. Sometimes I dress like a swaggy girl. And sometimes I feel trapped by this persona that I have created, because sometimes I think people view me not as a woman. That tour video was about all that. It is me saying: ‘look, there is a body underneath these clothes and you don’t get to see it. Isn’t that a shame?'”
Billie Eilish Discusses Fame, in its Entirety
For Billie Eilish, what sets her apart from other stars is how far she’s come in such a short span of time. And considering the fact that she’s still under twenty and has already experienced so much in this industry. With many young stars, they’re pushed to grow up too fast. Their understanding of the world is unexpectedly mature, perhaps even a tad bit cynical. You can see it here in Billie’s views on fame.
“The thing I realized recently is this: when you get to a certain level of fame or notoriety, it doesn’t matter what you say or do, you are a certain level of known. You will be super hated. And super loved. There are a million people who don’t like Beyoncé – and I don’t know how the hell you can’t love Beyoncé. Same with Rihanna. Same with Trump – people actually like that fool! How can you like this man? But everyone is hated and everyone is loved.”
And at the end of the day, that’s very true, isn’t it? For now, let’s just hope that Billie can stay strong despite the painful consequences of fame. We’re also hoping that she continues to be vocal about prevalent issues like this.
By: Nina Karun
