Billie Eilish Doesn’t Dress For Your Approval
Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a writer, self-proclaimed reality TV buff and uses "Real Housewives" references unironically. Her camera roll is filled with Twitter screenshots and she will definitely talk your ear off for as long as you will let her. Find more of her pop culture ramblings just about anywhere on the internet.
ICYMI: Billie Eilish doesn’t dress for your approval, and TBH we’re all for her style evolution.
The Grammy Award winning singer, 21, took to Instagram Stories last weekend to share her thoughts on the constant social media critiques of her more recent “feminine” style.
"I spent the first 5 years of my career getting absolutely OBLITERATED by you fools for being boy ish and dressing how i did & constantly being told i'd be hotter if i acted like a woman," Eilish captioned a close-up pic of her face. "Now when i feel comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting, i CHANGED and am a sellout."
"You guys are true idiots," she continued, calling her critics "bozos" who need to "let women rest."
Image via Billie Eilish / Instagram
In a series of follow-up stories, Eilish wrote: "FUN FACT! did you know that women are multifaceted!!!!!??? shocking right?? believe it or not women could be interested in multiple things."
"Also that femininity does not equal weakness???!!!! omg?! insane right? who knew," she added. "And also totally unheard of and insane to want to express yourself differently at different times."
Image via Billie Eilish / Instagram
This isn’t the first time Eilish has shared her thoughts on social media. Back in March, Eilish opened up to Conan O'Brien on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast about her evolving approach to social media, particularly due to "how gullible it makes you."
"Anything I read on the internet I believe. Me! And I know for a fact that's stupid and I shouldn't do that because I have proof that it's not all true. Almost none of it's true," she said. "It's, like, little things, small white lies, that go over everybody's head, but everyone believes."
Eilish referenced one video that referred to her as a "horrible person," and described her thought process while watching it.
"And then it was a very serious video of why. The person seemed in the right headspace and they were saying all of these things. I was like, 'Jeez, wow,' " Eilish said. "It's just such a crazy reality that I live in. I'm like, 'That's my face. That's my name. That's me. Oh, interesting. OK. Alright.' "
"It's these definitive statements that they know are right, somehow they know, somebody told them," she added. "God came down and said, 'This is the truth about Billie and you know it for a fact. You don't know her, but you know that this is the truth and you have to tell everybody about it and everyone's going to believe it.' "
In an October 2021 cover story for Elle, Eilish mentioned that she lost thousands of Instagram followers because of an aesthetic refresh for her Happier Than Ever album.
"People hold on to these memories and have an attachment. But it's very dehumanizing. I lost 100,000 followers just because of the boobs. People are scared of big boobs," she said with a laugh. "You're not even supposed to really know who you are until you're at least my age or older."
"I had no goal of 'This is going to make everybody think differently of me.' I've had different-colored hair and vibes for everything I've ever done. I wanted this album to have its own thing," she added. "The other day, I posted a video from when I had green hair, and I saw people go, 'I miss this Billie, the green-haired Billie.' I'm still the same person. I'm not just different Barbies with different heads."
We’re totally on Eilish’s side for this one. Women ARE, indeed, multifaceted humans who can embrace femininity and masculinity simultaneously, and express these gender identities in varying ways. (After all, the objects and traits attached to traditional gender roles are simply a result of societal and cultural shifts anyway.)
Eilish’s story goes beyond gender expression and societal impacts, though. Social media is a powerful tool – and weapon – and must be used with caution. Whether you’re sharing the latest-and-greatest canned cocktails with your IG followers or commenting on a new beauty trend on TikTok, be sure you’re sharing content with an air of positivity, because what you say can truly impact people.
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Header image by Mike Coppola / Getty Images.
Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a writer, self-proclaimed reality TV buff and uses "Real Housewives" references unironically. Her camera roll is filled with Twitter screenshots and she will definitely talk your ear off for as long as you will let her. Find more of her pop culture ramblings just about anywhere on the internet.