Billie Eilish’s Twitter body-shaming shows social media still rarely celebrates real women – now fashion brands Versace, Chanel and Fendi are finally using plus-sized models to show off new collections
The body shaming of models Nina Agdal, Kaia Gerber and Ashley Graham shows the drastic need for progress, fast – despite the growing profile of body positive brands like Girlfriend Collective, Universal Standard and Sotela
This week, a paparazzi photo of Billie Eilish circulated on the internet, and it wasn’t because she was doing anything illegal or controversial. It caused a stir because she was spotted wearing a form-fitting camisole and shorts instead of her usual baggy outfits.
If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. 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?
Many people felt entitled to comment on the pic – specifically, a Twitter user called @GamesNosh who tweeted: “In 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30s wine mom body.”
The backlash was swift. Amid all the clapbacks from her fans and celebrity friends, the singer responded by reposting a TikTok video of YouTuber Chizi Duru talking about normalising real bodies on her Instagram Story. “Y’all gotta start normalising real bodies, OK?” Chizi said. “Not everybody has a wagon behind them, OK? Guts are normal; they’re normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real.”
This is not the first time Billie Eilish has dealt with – or spoken about – body shaming. She’s been vocal before about why she wears clothes “800 sizes bigger” than she is. In an interview with Vogue Australia last year, she explains that, “It kind of gives nobody the opportunity to judge what your body looks like. I want layers and layers and layers and I want to be mysterious. You don’t know what’s underneath and you don’t know what’s on top.”
Back in May, she released a short film titled Not My Responsibility that’s directed at body shamers. In the video, she can be seen slowly undressing before sinking into a pool of black water, with a voice-over saying, “Some people hate what I wear. Some people praise it. Some people use it to shame others. Some people use it to shame me. Would you like me to be smaller? Softer? Taller? Would you like me to be quiet?” She continues, saying, “If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. 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?”