Billie Eilish on Normalizing Real Bodies

A woman’s body merely is an open forum for society to freely discuss and dissect, stardom being no exception to the rule. No matter the age, there is no good way to talk about a woman’s body, especially an 18-year-old woman’s body, and yet it’s somehow acceptable to degrade her before she can even legally purchase a beer. 

Earlier this week, paparazzi photos of Billie Eilish began circulating around the web, in which she was wearing considerably more form-fitting clothing than her usual triple-oversized get-up. There was nothing unusual about this photo aside from the fact that Billie’s hair is always the perfect shade of neon green; however, that didn’t stop someone from tweeting, “in 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.”

This tweet has now amassed over 13,000 retweets, resulting in the entire world joining in on a conversation about Billie’s body. The conversation was divided between those agreeing with the user who tweeted this and others advocating for Billie by using “body positivity.” There is nothing spectacular about this photo. All anyone can see is an 18-year-old woman freely living her life with no restraints of beauty at all. The photos of her body are perfectly normal—just her in a messy bun with a monochromatic tan-colored tank top and loose shorts. Many people have worn this same exact outfit to the store for a quick grocery run, so why is it when Billie does it does she gets criticized? Well, this topic is deeper rooted than just Billie wearing a tank top. 

Billie’s entire stardom was built with her voice, and not with her body—something that is far too common in Hollywood. This doesn’t stop the media from trying to focus on everything but her voice, often jumping at any opportunity where Billie is seen in less than her trademark 800 sizes too big clothing. People have been in awe of what is underneath said clothes since Eilish was 16 – just a minor at the time. “I mean, that’s why I wear big, baggy clothes: Nobody can have an opinion, because they haven’t seen what’s underneath,” she explained in a 2019 Calvin Klein campaign. 

This talk surrounding her body pushed Eilish to create a short film for her tour titled, “Not My Responsibility.” In this video, Eilish recites a poem while getting undressed. The most impactful verse was the last where she says, “If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I am a sl*t. Though you’ve never seen my body, you still judge it and judge me for it. Why? You make assumptions about people based on their size. We decide who they are. We decide what they’re worth. If I wear more, who decides what that makes me? What that means? Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?”

Eilish is unapologetic and shows how people should shift the narrative from body positivity to body acceptance. She isn’t brave for putting herself out there. She is normal; she is human. Many argue that everyone should have the right to feel comfortable in their own body regardless of the platform they have. 

Billie responded to this by reposting a TikTok from Chizi Duru about normalizing real bodies, which stated, “Not everyone has a wagon behind them. Guts are normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real.” 

It’s 2020. Women’s bodies are more than just objects for someone’s gaze. 

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