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She contradicts herself a lot.
By Ashley Darkwa-Anto — Written on Mar 22, 2022
The internet built Billie Eilish’s career; therefore, she’s no stranger to its scandals. She's earned quite the fan base thanks in large part to her fame online, but unfortunately, as her popularity increases, she — like many celebrities — finds it difficult to avoid controversy.
Many fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the singer-songwriter, often calling her intentions into question.
Here are some of the most controversial things Billie Eilish has said and done that caused people to question her intentions.
1. She offended fans with body-shaming comments.
In 2019, Eilish made an interesting statement when asked about prom, which many viewed as “a body-shaming insult,” according to The Things.
Many found the comment ironic from someone who has preached body positivity throughout her career.
“Listen, I’m not shaming people for their looks, but I am though,” she said. “You give an ugly guy a chance, he thinks he rules the world. I swear to God, because they got a hot girl, they can be horrible? Like, you’re still ugly though. Can’t change that. Maybe that’s why.”
2. She targeted rap music by claiming the genre is full of lies and posturing.
In an interview with Vogue in February of 2020, the “Ocean Eyes” singer commented about the state of rap music which triggered an immediate and widespread backlash.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet reports that during the interview, the then eighteen-year-old discussed the authenticity of her music. Although her songs typically incorporate storytelling, the singer claims a distinction between her music and that of other musicians.
“Just because the story isn’t real doesn’t mean it can’t be important. There’s a difference between lying in a song and writing a story,” she said. “There are tons of songs where people are just lying,” she continued.
“There’s a lot of that in rap right now, from people that I know who rap. It’s like, ‘I got my AK-47, and I’m f*ckin’,’ and I’m like, what? You don’t have a gun. ‘And all my b*tches…’ I’m like, which b*tches? That’s posturing, and that’s not what I’m doing.”
Billie’s comment that rap music is rarely genuine and authentic didn’t sit well with many folks — and they weren’t shy about letting her know. Many individuals took to social media to share their feelings about the singer, saying that Eilish unfairly singled out rap music.
Others seem to see her perspective, but identify that there is a hard truth to the genre, despite how outrageous some lyrics may sound.
3. She dated someone who was a decade older than her when she was 19.
According to The Things, many felt uncomfortable after discovering the age gap between Eilish, aged 19, and her rumored boyfriend, actor Matthew Tyler, aged 29. Though Eilish had already reached the age of consent, according to United States law, many still find the pair odd — especially since Eilish had been vocal against child grooming in Hollywood in the past.
Although some fans were excited for a peek into Eilish's famously private love-life, others were appalled. @Dontworryab0ut2 wrote on Twitter, “Just 'cause she’s 18+ does not make it okay to be GROOMED. that man is 30 and is racist and a homophobe and it’s a little weird to be dating someone who is that type [of] person."
The ceiling hit the fan when several screenshots of Matthew Tyler’s old social media posts surfaced, which revealed a series of racist, homophobic, and xenophobic remarks.
Once the screenshots were leaked, Tyler promptly apologized and attempted to distance himself from the racist comments. It didn’t matter, though, because fans were still upset and had already made up their mind about the unlikely duo.
4. Eilish liked a post that called her fandom “embarrassing” on Instagram.
Around the same time, Instagram users discovered Billie Eilish had liked an Instagram post that called out her fandom.
Newsweek reports that “[t]he post read, ‘This fandom is embarrassing sometimes, like why would you go in someone’s comments and say something that you literally don’t even know is true. Sometimes y’all are so dumb. Some of you just need to learn how to mind your business.’”
So, in a way, she indirectly told her fans to mind their business.
5. She was recorded mocking and mouthing a racial slur in an old video that resurfaced.
Eilish was under scrutiny in June of 2021, shortly after her boyfriend Matthew Tyler Vorce was called out for past racist and homophobic comments.
In the since-deleted TikTok, there was a recording of Eilish — who was 13 or 14 years old at the time — mouthing an anti-Asian racial slur. In another resurfaced video, Eilish was supposedly heard mocking Asian accents.
According to USA Today, Eilish has since apologized, writing on her Instagram story, “I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word…as it was never used around me by anyone in my family. Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was harmful. And for that I am sorry.”
For the second video, however, she rebutted, saying, "It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent, or culture in the SLIGHTEST."
6. She shared a “queerbaiting” Instagram post.
Again in June of 2021, Billie Eilish sparked outrage after posting Behind The Scenes photos of her “Lost Cause” music video with the caption “i love girls.”
The photos only showed her and the other women from the accompanying video. Yet, many were outraged, viewing the caption as a queerbaiting attempt to increase her popularity among the LGBTQ+ community.
It seemed that the rage that came from her fans was due to Eilish revealing that she is straight and has previously been in a relationship with a male.
According to South China Morning Post, the now twenty-year-old singer weighed in on her sexuality.
“I could never play with authenticity because that’s a game that can’t be managed. I don’t try to be different. I don’t ‘try’ to be like this. Trying to be real is exactly what makes it impossible. Being who you are, without lying or manipulating your image, is the only honest choice.”
Instead of addressing the issue and clearing things up, Eilish went to Instagram and posted a picture of her sporting her new blonde look.
Ashley Darkwa-Anto is an editorial intern at YourTango who covers News & Entertainment.