“Because of the way that I feel that the world sees me, I haven’t felt really desired. But that’s really my whole life, though, so I don’t know if it’s anything to do with fame,” said Billie Eilish in her interview in the June 2021 issue of British Vogue, the feature that also included photos of her posing in some high-end lingerie. For Billie, 19, it was a powerful move since she has been open about her body-image struggles. For those who might criticize her for embracing a sexual image after building herself up as the girl in oversized clothing, she has no time for that.
“It really f**ked me up,” said Billie, when noticing a TV trope of a “classic hot girl” undergoing a personality transplant (“She’s this completely different character of wifey”) when she enters a serious, committed relationship. “Everybody’s like, ‘You can’t make a wife out of a hoe’ – and it’s like, you’re attracted to that person, though. You created that person. Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy, and you’re a slut, and you’re a whore. If I am, then I’m proud. Me and all the girls are hoes, and f**k it, y’know?”
“Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you,” added Billie. During the chat, Billie said that she admires the “multidimensionality” of Megan Thee Stallion, per British Vogue. She also dismissed the idea that women need to police their style because of how men might react. “I really think the bottom line is, men are very weak,” she says. “I think it’s just so easy for them to lose it. ‘You expect a dude not to grab you if you’re wearing that dress?’ Seriously, you’re that weak? Come on! Go masturbate!”
Billie’s Vogue feature arrived on the heels of “Your Power,” the new single off her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever. “It’s an open letter to people who take advantage – mostly men,” she said in the interview. “I would like people to listen to me. And not just try to figure out who I’m talking about, because it’s not about that. It’s really not at all about one person. You might think, ‘It’s because she’s in the music industry’ – no, dude. It’s everywhere. … I don’t know one girl or woman who hasn’t had a weird experience, or a really bad experience. And men, too – young boys are taken advantage of constantly.”
She also seemingly anticipated the whataboutism regarding her photoshoot. “ ‘You’re going to complain about being taken advantage of as a minor, but then you’re going to show your boobs?’” she said. “Yes, I am, motherf**ker! I’m going to because there’s no excuse.”
