Billie Eilish responds to trolls who criticised her for wearing tank top: ‘This is how I look’
‘I love having kids relate to me and tell me that I make them feel comfortable in their bodies,’ says singer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Billie Eilish has spoken out after she was targeted by body shaming trolls when she was pictured wearing a tank top in the summer.
Speaking to Vanity Fair for a short video Q&A, the 18-year-old singer was asked: “What’s the biggest rumor about you?”
Eilish used the questions as an opportunity to respond to online trolls who have criticised her appearance.
“There’s this picture of me running from my car to my brother’s front door on like a 110 degree day in a tank top,” Eilish said, referencing a photo of herself in Los Angeles.
When the photograph was published, one man went viral for sharing it alongside the caption: “In 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30's wine mom body”.
The tweet prompted widespread backlash as many people rushed to defend Eilish.
At the time, the singer responded by sharing blogger Chizi Duru’s TikTok video on her Instagram Story feed.
In the video, Duru said: “Y’all gotta start normalizing real bodies, OK? Not everybody has a wagon behind them, OK?
“Guts are normal, they’re normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn't real.”
Now, recalling the photo, Eilish told Vanity Fair: “People were like, ‘Damn, Billie got fat!’ And I’m like, ‘Nope, this is how I look, you’ve just never seen it before!’ So that’s the most current [rumour].”
Eilish went on to discuss the way that people regard her as a body positivity spokesperson.
“I think yeah, the reason people are looking up to you is because you're you,” she said.
“They’re not looking up to you so that you'll tell them something that you never actually tell them.
“They’re looking up to you so that you tell them something that you would tell them yourself."
Eilish continued: “I love having kids relate to me and tell me that I make them feel comfortable in their bodies. Like, if I can do anything I want to do that.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments