The Bad Guy singer has fallen out with fans over her move from fashion goofball to glam
Billie Eilish has said she lost thousands of social media followers "just because of the boobs", after displaying a more sophisticated look recently.
Earlier this month the 19-year-old, famed for being more of a fashion goofball than glam, wore an Oscar de la Renta ballgown to the 2021 Met Gala in an ode to
Marilyn Monroe.
Eilish revealed to
Elle magazine that some of her new looks, including a pinup-style shoot for British Vogue and selfies in a corset, hadn't sat well with fans, but added that she used to wear dresses every day before body image struggles “tore that s*** down.”
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“People hold on to these memories and have an attachment. But it’s very dehumanising,” she said. “I lost 100,000 followers, just because of the boobs. People are scared of big boobs.”
Eilish went on to say she was dismayed by fans' reactions to simple wardrobe switches, such as wearing a tank top rather than the oversized clothes she is famed for.
“The other day, I decided to wear a tank top. It wasn’t even a provocative shirt. But I know people are going to say: ‘Holy f***, she’s dressing sexy and trying to make a statement.’ And I’m like: ‘No, I’m not. It’s 500 degrees and I just want to wear a tank top,’” the Grammy winner recalled.
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The Material Girl herself, Madonna, has come to Eilish's defense, with the pop star acknowledging the double standard before stating that women should be able to “portray themselves in any way they want”.
“If Billie were a man, no one would be writing about this. A man can show up dressed in a suit and tie for the first three years of his career, and then the next month he could be dressed like Prince or Mick Jagger, shirt off, wearing eyeliner, and no one would say a word,” she said.
During the Elle cover shoot, Eilish who recently debuted a new blonde hairstyle after years of rocking a fluorescent green style, also explained her decision to change up her locks, saying it was about “anonymity”.
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“I couldn’t go anywhere with that hair because it was so obviously me. I wanted anonymity,” she said, before acknowledging that she had also just wanted a change."
Despite the make-over, Eilish said she hoped fans didn't change their opinion of her.
“I had no goal of ‘This is going to make everybody think differently of me.’ I’ve had different-colored hair and vibes for everything I’ve ever done. I wanted this album to have its own thing,” she explained, referring to her album Happier Than Ever.
While Eilish said her intention hadn’t been to alter the public’s perception, she told Elle that fans already reminisce about the old Billie.
“The other day, I posted a video from when I had green hair, and I saw people go: ‘I miss this Billie, the green-haired Billie,’” Eilish said. “I’m still the same person. I’m not just different Barbies with different heads.”
Read the Elle cover story here.
