Artist of the Week: Billie Eilish takes stand against body shaming in wake of online photo

Ali Smith, roundtable editor

Most would assume that an acclaimed artist must have years of professional experience and a long life where personal and career lessons were learned behind them.
For this week’s artist of the week, I have chosen someone who defies these expectations, as she is young with a lot of life ahead of her, despite her tremendous accomplishments thus far.
This young lady is the talented, divergent Billie Eilish.
Since her Soundcloud debut at age 14 in heartthrob “Ocean Eyes,” Eilish has dominated the music industry and defied the obstacles placed before her due to her age.
She has released two albums so far, “Dont Smile At Me” in 2017 and “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” in 2019.
What is most unique about Eilish is that she has remained constant and determined to do things her own way, refusing to conform to the standards set by the music industry and society.
Both of her award-winning albums have been recorded in her brother Finneas’ bedroom in their childhood home.
Her brother has recorded, edited and even written her music, and they are still a Grammy-winning team. This dynamic and recording setting is a rarity in the music industry, however it shows that she has remained firm in maintaining her close-knit family values despite stardom.

This year, Eilish swept the Grammys, taking home five awards by the end of the night.
This week, Eilish has made the news for a different reason. She has become quite famous for her unisex clothing, which is characteristically baggy in nature.
“I never want the world to know everything about me,” said Eilish. “I mean, that’s why I wear big, baggy clothes. Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.”
Recently however, Eilish was photographed wearing a tight-fitted tank top, and body shamers slammed her. The body positivity community pushed back.
Eilish, other artists and the body positivity community emphasized the movement of normalizing normal bodies, which is so important for fans, young and old, to see.
One of the most important responses to the body shaming came from YouTuber Chizi Duru on TikTok. “Y’all gotta start normalising real bodies, okay? Not everybody has a wagon behind them, okay? Guts are normal; they’re normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real,” said Chizi.
Arguably, Eilish’s societal impact is just as important as her musical impact, which is why she has been so incredibly successful and adored worldwide by fans of all ages.
“I’ve always done whatever I want and always been exactly who I am,” said Eilish.
Why stop now?