Billie Eilish has made an incredibly important point about what it is to be a young woman in the modern world.
On the first night of her world tour, the 18-year-old addressed body image criticism by removing her top and lowering herself into black water.
In the past, Billie, who was only 16 and 17 at the time, has faced criticism for her trademark loose clothing.
Talking on stage as she removes the layers, Eilish says:
You have opinions
About my opinions
About my music
About my clothes
About my body
Some people hate what I wear
Some people praise it
Some people use it to sh*me others
Some people use it to sh*me me
But I feel you watching
Always
And nothing I do goes unseen
Your disapproval
Or your sigh of relief
If I lived by them
I’d never be able to move
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 I wear what is comfortable?
I am not a woman
If I shed the layers…
I’m a sl*t
Though you’ve never seen my body
You still judge it
And judge me for it
Why?
We have assumptions about people
Based on their size
We decide who they are
We decide what they’re worth
If I wear more
If I wear less
Who decides what makes me?
What that means
Is my value based on your perception?
Or is your opinion of me…
Not my responsibility? 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?
Check out the footage below:
#BillieEilish kicked off her latest North American tour by delivering a powerful message against body-shaming: https://t.co/yPNFCHBASF pic.twitter.com/gviqM43A0E
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) March 10, 2020
I’M G*Y AND NOBODY CAN’T CHANGE THAT #BILLIEEILISH PIC.TWITTER.COM/DRIUJT5CWI
— BILLIETOOT (@BILLIETOOT1) MARCH 10, 2020
Billie Eilish’s intro for her first sold-out arena tour at age 18…. no one is doing it like her pic.twitter.com/KmIsHKfSpI
— joel (@joeltovarr) March 10, 2020
Powerful stuff.
