Billie Eilish has never shied away from challenging problematic body image standards.
Speaking to Vogue about her latest fragrance, Eilish No. 2, the 21-year-old singer/songwriter opened up about her own body image and embracing femininity.
“I spent most of my life being very masculine and boyish, and I kind of recently, in the last couple of years, was kind of like, ‘You know what, I’m allowed to be whatever I want to be when I want to be it,’” she said.
"I don’t need to always prove to everyone that I’m a tomboy. Like, that is what I am, but I also am this kind of girl. I’m also feminine, and I’m also sexy, and I’m also cute, and I’m also just like, none of the above, and I’m just me.”
The "Happier Than Ever" singer shared that she's striving to embrace her sense of hyper-femininity on her terms. “I’m trying to be more comfortable wearing makeup, like a lot of makeup,” she added. “Obviously, I wear a little makeup all the time, but it’s just like, big faces of makeup…it’s something that I look up to, and I admire, and for me, I’m just like so scared of it.”
Billie then expressed her multifaceted persona when talking about the time she wore a black, sheer Simone Rocha gown at the 2023 Met Gala. Once the event was over, she was quick to change. “I went back to the hotel and was just like, get this offfff me!” she said. “I put on big North Face pants, a big zip-up jacket, a backward hat, and some Jordans — and that’s how I feel the best. I feel so powerful like that.”
And it's this versatility within her image that has unfortunately sparked unnecessary criticism of her appearance. “Dude, I don’t even know. It’s tough, man,” Billie said. “Honestly, nobody can say anything about my body that I don’t have a stronger opinion about."
"I also think that if I was younger, like if the internet talked about me the way they do now when I was like 11, I don’t think I would be able to exist, to be honest."
While she's embraced her evolving identity, Billie admitted that the criticism still affects her. “I like myself more than I used to, and I’m more interested in how I feel than how they feel. But then also that might be a load of bullshit because it still hurts my feelings like a sonofabitch.”
And there you have it! Billie is a real one.
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