Billie Eilish Takes Powerful Stance Against Body-Shaming on Opening Night of Tour

On the opening night of her “Where Do We Go” Tour in Miami, Billie Eilish confronted body shaming in a powerful clip.

Between songs, the eighteen year old singer who is known for her normally baggy clothing played a quick video that showed her in a form-fitting tank top. The video then showed her remove the top, and stand only in her bra.

At the same time the voiceover to the video enunciated her stance on the double-standards that women face. “If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I’m a slut. Though you’ve never seen my body, you still judge it, and judge me for it.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfsdKFMz4xw

It went on to state, “Why? We make 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 that makes me? What that means? Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?”

It is not the first time that Billie Eilish has confronted the excessive interest in the way that she dresses. Last year in an interview with V Magazine she admitted that she was aware of the celebratory yet sexist undertones of how people discuss her dressing. “I don’t like that there’s this weird new world of supporting me by shaming people that [may not] want to [dress like me].”

In another interview with Elle, the singer said that her dressing was part of wanting to avoid judgement based on her physique and that she did not approve of people slut-shaming or body-shaming others for ‘not dressing like Billie Eilish’.

Overall the reaction to Billie Eilish’s video has been overwhelmingly positive – both in the media, and amongst fans. Most reactions congratulate and applaud the singer for her powerful statement and for confronting one of the issues that most women face, which felt like it came from the heart rather than being contrived.

It remains to be seen whether the clip she showed in Miami was a one-off, or part of a larger message that she has planned for the “Where Do We Go” tour. Its next stop is the PNC Arena in Raleigh on the 12th of March. 

The singer is scheduled to tour North America before heading to South America, Europe and Asia – with the final concert on September 7th in Jakarta, Indonesia. The North American tour dates are already sold-out.

The first show of the tour in Miami gave the audience a taste of what to expect. It had most of the songs from her only album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” alongside several songs from the singer’s “Don’t Smile at Me” EP, and rare tracks such as “When I was Older” from the Roma soundtrack.

The tour coincides with Billie Eilish’s song “Bad Guy” being awarded the Bestselling Global Digital Single of 2019. It topped the charts in 15 countries, acquired a global sales of over $19.5 million, and was Spotify’s second-most streamed song worldwide.

Suffice to say, 2019 was a good year for Billie Eilish and so far the singer has started 2020 with a bang too.

“A poll by Betway suggested that she is definitely a fan favorite for awards this year, though it remains to be seen whether or not that will pan out.

Judging from the reactions that she is getting, Billie Eilish has certainly won over many new fans and supporters for the message that she advocated.

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