Billie Eilish has returned to talk about sexualization, body shaming, and the overall world in which women’s bodies are judged in an interview with Variety. “Being a woman is a war that never ends, especially when you are young and in the public eye.”
Her preference for baggy clothes some time ago was not to avoid being sexualized, Eilish emphasizes, but to protect herself from the judgments of others. “I wasn’t strong and confident enough to show my body. If I had done it and someone had said something, I would have fallen apart.”
Furthermore, “Perhaps the fact that I don’t care much about being sexualized is because I have never felt desired or desirable. Honestly, I have never felt like a woman. I have never felt desirable. I have never felt feminine. I have to convince myself that I am a beautiful girl. I identify with the pronouns she/her, but I have never really felt like a girl.”
According to Eilish, the sexualization of women’s bodies is unfortunately inevitable. “I have had big boobs since I was 9 years old, that’s how I’m built. If I happen to wear something that exposes even a tiny part of my body and people react, ‘How come, especially you who wanted people not to sexualize you?’ You can suck my ass! I am a human being who sometimes expresses myself sexually, so go fuck yourselves!”
Behind all this, Eilish says, there is a double standard because “no one ever has anything to say about men’s bodies. Are you muscular? Fine. Are you not? Still fine. If you’re thin, it’s okay. If you have a dad bod, it’s still okay. If you’re chubby, love yourself. Everyone is happy. And you know why? Because girls are kind. We don’t care because we see people for who they really are.”
Eilish’s latest piece is “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie. In addition to receiving five Grammy nominations, the song has been used on TikTok by many girls to share their experiences. Eilish found it touching. “I feel like I’ve contributed to connecting girls from all over the world, and that makes me feel special.”