Billie Eilish lashed out over the weekend at “women hating … weirdos” who criticize her choice of clothing on social media.
“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,” the 21-year-old singer wrote in Instagram Stories. “and now when i feel comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting, i CHANGED and am a sellout.. and ‘what happened to her.’
“oMg iT’s nOt thE sAmE biLlie she’s just like the rest bla blah… you guys are true idiots. LOL i can be BOTH you f**king bozos LET WOMEN EXIST! :))))”
Eilish added: “FUN FACT! did you that women are multifaceted!!!!??? shocking right?? believe it or not women can be interested in multiple things. Also that femininity does not equal weakness???!!!! omg?! insane right? who knew?? and also totally unheard of and insane to want to express yourself differently at different times.”
The rant ended with a NSFW directive for her haters.
In 2020, Eilish shared a powerful message about sexism and body shaming in a video that played during a break in her concerts.
“If what I wear is comfortable, I am not a woman,” she said in a voiceover. “If I shed the layers, I am a slut.
“Some people hate what I wear, some people praise it. Some people use it to shame others, some people use it to shame me.
“But I feel you watching... always. And nothing I do goes unseen. So while I feel your stares, your disapproval or your sighs of relief, if I lived by them, I'd never be able to move.
“If I wear more, if I wear less, 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?”
That same year, Eilish told British GQ she prefers to wear loose-fitting clothes to protect herself from being judged.
“Sometimes I dress like a boy. Sometimes I dress like a swaggy girl,” she explained. “And sometimes I feel trapped by this persona that I have created, because sometimes I think people view me not as a woman.
“But that doesn’t mean that I won’t wake up one day and decide to wear a tank top, which I have done before.”