On Tuesday, May 26th, worldwide superstar Billie Eilish released a short film to her YouTube channel titled ‘Not my Responsibility’. The spoken word visual displays Eilish removing layers of clothing, lamenting about society’s pressure on her to expose her body.
Eilish has always dressed pretty conservatively, but not just as a fashion choice. Mass media has always sexuallized women in Hollywood, and the young star is not interested in participating. In an interview from 2019, she pop star gave some explanation behind her signature look. “That’s why I wear baggy clothes,” she said “Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath. Nobody can be like, ‘she’s slim-thick,’ ‘she’s not slim-thick,’ ‘she’s got a flat a**,’ ‘she’s got a fat a**.’ No one can say any of that because they don’t know.”
Check out the lyrics to Eilish’s powerful spoken word lament, and check out the visual below.
do you know me?
really know me?
you have opinions
about my opinions
about my music
about my clothes
about my body
some people hate what I wear
some people praise it
some people use it to shame others
some people use it to shame me
but I feel you watching
always
and nothing I do goes unseen
so while I feel your stares
your disapproval
or your sigh of relief
if I lived by them
I’d never be able to move
would you like me to be smaller?
weaker?
softer?
taller?
would you like me to be quiet?
do my shoulders provoke you?
does my chest?
am I my stomach?
my hips?
the body I was born with
is it not what you wanted?
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
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
—
Photo Credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com