Like any successful musician, pop artist Billie Eilish expects criticism from the media on her work. However, throughout her career she has been constantly attacked for her choice of oversized clothes and overall appearance. This time it went too far.
Twitter user Games Nosh posted a photo of the 18-year-old singer out wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. He captions the tweet saying that “in 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.”
This is not the first time Eilish has dealt with criticism about her appearance. Eilish is known for wearing big and baggy clothes to both casual events and award ceremonies. In 2019, Eilish revealed in a Calvin Klein campaign that she wears baggy clothes in order to avoid being body shamed.
“I never want the world to know everything about me,” Eilish said. “I mean, that’s why I wear big baggy clothes: Nobody can have an opinion, because they haven’t seen what’s underneath, you know?”
It is sad how the public pushed Eilish to the point where she had no choice but to explain herself. She is a young girl and growing up in the public eye is hard enough. With the added pressure of looking perfect on top of everything else: I applaud her for keeping it together.
After persistent questioning and attacks over social media, Eilish finally clapped back against the haters. In May, she released a tour film titled Not My Responsibility, in which she discusses how the public constantly body shames her and will do so no matter what she wears. In response she explains that she will continue to dress the way she likes and how the public’s opinion is not her responsibility.
“If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman,” Eilish explained in the short film. “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.”
When users like Games Nosh make these comments about women’s bodies, it is not just the words that are hurting us. Comments like these continue to push the societal expectations that women need to have the perfect bodies: We have to have big boobs, a big butt, a little waist and have a perfect face without any makeup. What happens if you do not have all of these? Well, do not expect a guy to like you.
People like Games Nosh are in for a rude awakening concerning women’s bodies. According to a study by the International Journal of Fashion, Design, Technology and Education, the average size of an American woman is a size 16. So while Eilish’s body is considered completely normal, society still pushes the idea of the perfect woman, even though it is not representative of the general population. Bodies like Eilish’s are completely normal, but because we see certain body types being heavily shown in the media, we are quick to judge any imperfections.
Many fans were quick to defend Eilish, all speaking about the unreasonable expectations that men create for women. One user claimed that porn and social media were contributing factors to why these expectations are created. Eilish also indirectly responded to the troller by posting a video to her Instagram story. In the video, influencer Chizi Duru discusses the importance of normalizing real bodies.
Young girls like Eilish need to stop being shamed and start being represented in the media. Many young girls look up to Eilish. So when the media constantly attacks her, they are not just attacking Eilish. They are attacking these young girls too. They are attacking thousands of girls who are already insecure about their bodies and causing them to question themselves even more.
So the next time you are behind a computer to comment on someone’s appearance or attitude, make sure to realize you are not just attacking that particular person. You are setting unrealistic standards for everyone in society to follow going forward.
Hannah Campbell is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Hannah by tweeting her at @hannahcmpbell.
