Billie Eilish Takes Off Her Shirt in Powerful Statement Against Body Shamers
Billie Eilish made a powerful statement by taking off her shirt and revealing her body in a video interlude shown on the opening night of her Where Do We Go? world tour in Miami on March 9.
The moment came as a shock to fans who did not expect to see the 18-year-old's body on the big screen. In the clip, the singer, who has previously admitted she wears baggy clothes to avoid being sexualized, is seen unzipping her oversized hoodie before stripping down to a tank top. She then removes it, revealing her bra as she lowers herself into black water.
“Some people hate what I wear, some people praise it," Eilish says. "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," she continued. "Would you like me to be smaller? Weaker? Softer? Taller? Would you like me to be quiet? Do my shoulders provoke you? Does my chest? Am I my stomach? My hips? The body I was born with, is it not what you wanted?"
"If what I wear is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I am a slut. Though you’ve never seen my body, you still judge it and judge me for it. Why?" she asks. "Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?”
Watch Eilish's powerful message about body image, below:
The pop star's statement comes just one day after Demi Lovato praised her for "keeping her body a mystery" in a new interview. In it, she commends Eilish's authenticity despite the music industry's expectations.
Eilish's "Where Do We Go?" world tour tickets are available here.