This is why we can’t have nice things.
If you’ve perused the Twitter-sphere in the last 24 hours, you’ve no doubt been exposed to the commentary on a paparazzi photo of Billie Eilish from earlier this week.
The photo shows the 18-year-old walking to her car in a tight tank top and shorts— an uncharacteristic outfit choice for Billie who notoriously remains covered up to keep the focus on her music rather than her body. “Me and my body’s relationship has been the most toxic relationship you could even imagine,” the singer recently said in an interview with Gayle King about her body image. “The way that I dress has made that relationship so much better.”
Shortly after the photo began circulating the internet, a 29-year-old man from the UK shared it on Twitter with the caption, “In 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.”
in 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30's wine mom body. pic.twitter.com/pMRFdZZ7mE
— GamesNosh (@GamesNosh) October 13, 2020
Twitter rushed to Billie’s defense, calling the man’s tweet “body-shaming,” “objectively wrong,” and reminding critics that Billie is only 18-years-old.
Despite the heated discourse online, the six-time Grammy-winning artist seems relatively unfazed by the criticism. Today she took to Instagram stories to share a TikTok from @chiziduru who says, “Y’all gotta start normalising real bodies, OK? Not everybody has a wagon behind them. Guts are normal— they’re normal! Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real.”
This isn’t the first time Billie has clapped back at body-shamers. In May, the singer-songwriter released a short film on her official YouTube channel titled “NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY,” challenging those who speak on her body.
“Do you know me? Really know me?” Billie begins in the video as she removes her clothing and submerges herself in water. “You have opinions about my opinions, about my music, about my clothes, about my body.”
“Some people hate what I wear. Some people praise it. Some people use it to shame others. Some people use it to shame me.”
She explains that if she “lived” by the public’s opinions of her, she would “never be able to move.” “If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman,” she continues. “But if I shed the layers, I’m a slut.”
“Though you’ve never seen my body, you still judge it and judge me for it. Why?”
Why, indeed.