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Fans are concerned that nothing has changed.
By Victoria Soliz — Written on Nov 29, 2022
Billie Eilish opened up about her relationship with Jesse Rutherford in Vanity Fair's latest installment of their annual interview with her — six years after their very first video came out.
Rutherford and Eilish went public with their relationship in October 2022 but have faced backlash from fans due to their age gap.
Rutherford is 31, 11 years older than Eilish — but because Rutherford has been an idol to Eilish in the past, creating a potentially imbalanced power dynamic between the now-couple who met when Eilish was a minor.
As Eilish gushed about her new romance, fans were left with questions about her ability to discern some of the flaws in their relationship.
Billie Eilish's past statements about her dysfunctional relationships with older men have fans worried about her romance with Jesse Rutherford.
Among the wide variety of questions the star has been asked over the years, one question stood out among the others: do you have a boyfriend?
The camera fixates on Eilish’s face as she watches her past selves answer the dreaded question and when asked the same question now in 2022, Eilish simply responds, “Yeah, I do.”
“And it’s really cool and I’m really excited and I’m really happy about it,” she said.
Of course, fans are aware of her brand new relationship with The Neighbourhood frontman. But the latter part of her response has left fans feeling concerned.
“I managed to get my way to a point in my life where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f–king f–ker alive, but pulled his a–.”
Without seeking to patronize Eilish, fans are pointing out that what she is describing may not be as much of a power play from her as she is suggesting.
Eilish, who became a household name in her early teens has repeatedly spoken about being sexualized from a young age and has opened up about having dysfunctional relationships with men. After all, that’s the reason why she started off her career in baggy clothes that hid her silhouette.
In 2019, Eilish revealed her reason for wearing oversized clothing was to avoid having her sexuality analyzed while she was still a minor.
“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 said in a Calvin Klein advertisement.
Her past honesty has caused fans to point out that while Eilish should have the freedom to date who she wants, she could potentially be contributing to the normalization of power imbalances in relationships.
Billie Eilish says she has never felt 'powerful' or 'desired' in her past relationships.
In a 2020 interview with British GQ, Eilish was vulnerable about how she’s never felt desirable in her relationships due to her body issues.
“I have never felt desired. My past boyfriends never made me feel desired. None of them,” she said.
“And it’s a big thing in my life that I have never been physically desired by somebody.”
Eilish was also candid about how she’s never felt “powerful” in her relationships.
“I have never felt powerful in a relationship. I’m just not attracted to people anymore,” she said.
Billie Eilish has also hinted at being sexually abused by older men.
In a raw and strikingly honest 2021 interview with British Vogue, Eilish spoke candidly about the meaning behind her song “Your Power” which explores the complicated reality of being a young woman in situations controlled by older men.
“Try not to abuse your power,” she sings in the track.
“It’s an open letter to people who take advantage — mostly men,” Eilish told British Vogue.
“I used to not understand why age mattered. And, of course, you feel like that when you’re young, because you’re the oldest you’ve ever been. You feel like you’re so mature and you know everything.”
At the time, fans suspected Eilish may have been singing about her ex Quenton Adams — who she began dating when she was 17 and he was 22. She had previously discussed his “destructive” behavior in her Apple TV documentary.
She went on to date Matthew Tyler Vorce throughout 2021 — a relationship that stirred more controversy due to him being 30 while she was just 19.
In her conversation with British Vogue, Eilish also discussed being abused — though the details were not shared in the published interview.
“You can always be taken advantage of. That’s a big problem in the world of domestic abuse or statutory rape – girls that were very confident and strong-willed finding themselves in situations where they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I’m the victim here?’” she said.
“And it’s so embarrassing and humiliating and demoralizing to be in that position of thinking you know so much and then you realize, I’m being abused right now.”
Her past experiences have left fans concerned about Eilish and Rutherford's relationship.
For somebody who has been acutely aware of the sexualization of women in the industry and power imbalances, fans have been feeling the need to protect Eilish from finding herself in a cycle of abuse once more.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news