Billie Eilish: My baggy clothes shouldn't slut-shame others
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Billie Eilish performing in July 2019
Billie Eilish has criticised the way she is praised for wearing baggy clothes.
The 17-year-old says people think she's "saying no to being sexualized" but for her, that's not true.
Billie spoke about her fashion choices to Pharrell Williams in an interview for V Magazine, external.
She recognises some of the commentary around what she wears is positive but still feels there's an element of "slut-shaming".
"The positive comments about how I dress have this slut-shaming element. Like, 'I am so glad that you're dressing like a boy, so other girls can dress like boys, so that they aren't sluts'," Bille said.
"That's basically what it sounds like to me. And I can't overstate how strongly I do not appreciate that, at all."
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She think people sometimes assume what she's wearing is a statement against being a "stereotypical female".
"The way I dress is very not necessarily feminine, or girly, or whatever.
"I don't say, 'Oh, I am going to wear baggy clothes because it's baggy clothes', it's never like that. I wear what I want to wear."
Billie thinks rather than talking about how much or how little a woman is wearing, it should be more about how comfortable they feel.
"I have always supported and loved when a woman or a man or anyone in the world feels comfortable in their skin, their body, to show just whatever they want.
"I don't like that there's this weird new world of supporting me by shaming people that don't want to dress like me."
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Billie loved fashion growing up but thinks her fame plays a role in how people see the way she dresses.
"I have always been a person that wants to dress loud. I've always wanted people to look up at me, I've always wanted people to notice me," Billie said
"I'm just walking around dressed how I always wanted to but now there's a name attached to that."
It's not the first time she's talked about her fashion sense, having spoken to Rolling Stone magazine about struggling with body dysmorphia, external.
Billie Eilish performing at Glastonbury 2019
But she says those around her are the reason she's so comfortable in herself - especially given she was 13 when approaching music labels.
"There has been a whole world of young, especially female artists, being used and manipulated by the stereotypical label or industry," Billie said.
"I am really, really lucky and grateful that I have had the experience I had with my label and with my team and everyone.
"I never had any issues with people trying to pull me in a different direction, one in which I would not want to be headed."
That's everything from the music she makes to the clothes she wears.
"I have always been the kind of person that knows what I want, and if it's not what I want, then I am not going to do it."
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