Billie Eilishย spoke candidly about her perception of other women in a new interview withย Variety.
The Grammy-winning singer, who has long been subject to intense scrutiny over her ๐ e๐ฅuality, got real about feeling โphysically attracted toโ and โintimidated byโ women, despite personally struggling to relate to the idea of femininity.
โIโve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well,โ she told the outlet. โI love them so much. I love them as people. Iโm attracted to them as people. Iโm attracted to them for real.โ
She continued, โI have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. Iโm physically attracted to them. But Iโm also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.โ
Themย notes that Eilish has previously been accused of โqueerbaitingโโa term that refers to creators hinting at a fictional characterโs ๐ e๐ฅuality in order to appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences without ever meaningfully or explicitly discussing their queerness.
Elsewhere in the interview, Eilish opened up about her complicated relationship with her body, which has also faced years of undue public speculation. The singerโs signature red-carpet styleโwhich often invokes baggy or oversize clothingโhas put an unwanted emphasis on what her body looks like, a problem that she has previously spoken about.
โI wasnโt trying to have peopleย notย ๐ e๐ฅualize me,โ she said. โBut I didnโt want people to have access to my body, even visually. I wasnโt strong enough and secure enough to show it. If I had shown it at that time, I would have been completely devastated if people had said anything.โ
Eilish reflected on how her view of herself has affected her attitude toward being ๐ e๐ฅualized by the public. โMaybe my not really caring about being ๐ e๐ฅualized is because Iโve never felt desired or desirable,โ she explained. โIโve never felt like a woman, to be honest with you. Iโve never felt desirable. Iโve never felt feminine. I have to convince myself that Iโm, like, a pretty girl. I identify as โshe/herโ and things like that, but Iโve never really felt like a girl.โ
The singer slammed the unwelcome attention toward her natural body parts. โI have big boobs. Iโve had big boobs since I was nine years old, and thatโs just the way I am. Thatโs how I look,โ she said. โYou wear something thatโs at all revealing, and everyoneโs like, โOh,ย butย you didnโt want people to ๐ e๐ฅualize you?โ You can suck my ass! Iโm literally a being that is ๐ e๐ฅual sometimes. Fuck you!โ
The double standards for men are very apparent. As she points out, โNobody ever says a thing about menโs bodies. If youโre muscular, cool. If youโre not, cool. If youโre rail thin, cool. If you have a dad bod, cool. If youโre pudgy, love it! Everybodyโs happy with it. You know why? Because girls are nice. They donโt give a fuck because we see people for who they are!โ