Billie Eilish laughs of obsession with her image and sexuality

Billie Eilish has laughed off those obsessed with her hair, clothes, and sexuality.

Gracing the October 2021 issue of ELLE in a plunging gown studded with crystals, the singer, 19, explained that those critiquing her image don’t seem to grasp that it’s not that deep.

‘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**k, 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!” she told the publication.

Billie dyed her famously-acid green locks blonde last year, which she says made her feel like ‘a new person’.

‘I couldn’t go anywhere with that hair because it was so obviously me. I wanted anonymity,’ she explained. ‘I went to a park with a friend [after going blonde], and I was like, ‘No, I can’t take off my hood!’ I was terrified of the paparazzi and these stalkers I’ve had.

‘But my friend was like, ‘Don’t worry: You’re okay. Nothing’s gonna happen.’ And I took my hood off, and I felt like a new person. 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’m still the same person. I’m not just different Barbies with different heads.’ 

On how as her fame has grown, she has endured relentless scrutiny on the internet for everything from the way she dresses to whom she dates, Billie said: ‘Like, oh yeah, that’s everyone else’s business, right? No. Where’s that energy with men?

‘I just wanted to make a song once, and then I kept making songs. I never said, ‘Hey, pay attention to my life.’ All my friends know I don’t wanna see any of [the negative chatter]. When people send me something mean, it hurts my soul.’

Billie added that she’s ‘jealous of people who don’t have social media’.

‘I really wish that there was a way to avoid it. Literally delete my account but still have contact with the fans. I want to be able to have both, but you can’t,’ she mused.

Billie’s sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, debuted at number one around the globe on its release, with the star directing her own videos.

‘The album came from a lot of self-reflection. Happier Than Ever is really just me processing trauma… making this album was cathartic and freeing,’ Billie said. ‘I am a very visual person, and music videos have always been my favorite form of artistry, ever since I was a kid.

‘Since the beginning, almost all of my videos were my own ideas. I just didn’t know that I could direct them. It’s hard to translate an idea that you have in your own head – to make somebody else understand it – and then make it come to life. Sometimes you’ve just got to do it yourself, even if it’s hard.’

Eilish was filmed in a dreamlike sequence escaping from a flooding house for her latest video.

She said of the experience: ‘Water used to be my biggest fear – I was terrified of drowning and having my head stuck underwater. But I’m a daredevil. I want to do everything that scares me. 

‘Half of the video was shot underwater. So I pretty much overcame my fear of water. It was f**king crazy, dude.’

The full interview can be read in the October 2021 issue of ELLE.