By Jess Johnson
It’s 2020 — stop body shaming anyone, celebrity or not.
Men and women are often the target of body-shaming. As social media users continue to rise, the pressure on women continues to increase. This pressure was, and shouldn’t have, been placed on Billie Eilish, following leaked photos on Twitter of her in public wearing tight clothing Oct. 12. Since the beginning of her music career, Eilish has worn baggy clothes, a staple of her neon and 90s look. However, as she told TeenVogue in an interview, surrounding her part in the Calvin Klein ad dubbed “I Speak My Truth In #MyCalvins,” May 11, 2019, the real reason behind the look is that “nobody can have an opinion, because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.”
Eilish had also explained that she does not want the world to know everything about her, so she relies on fashion to protect herself.
“Nobody can be like, ‘she’s slim-thick,’ ‘she’s not slim-thick,’ ‘she’s got a flat ass,’ ‘she’s got a fat ass,’’ Eilish said. “No one can say any of that because they don’t know.”
This way, she feels comfortable and confident, and no one has the room to comment on her body. But an 18-year old shouldn’t have to hide herself — this is the problem.
Men believe women should be ‘‘thick’’ but they can’t have tiger stripes. Women can have a larger butt but can’t have ‘‘thunder’’ thighs. Women should have an hourglass figure, but need a snatched waist and smaller hips.
But don’t show off your body too much, or else you’re considered a ‘‘hoe’’ or a “slut.” On social media, if you post too much of your body, you’re an attention seeker — if you don’t, it’s dumb because men will not notice you.
Men believe if you’re too thin, gain some weight and if you’re too thick, lose it. Natural hair is boring, but don’t change it too much, or you’re just seeking attention. Wear a mini-skirt but not too short, and if you’re thinking about wearing leggings, it’s only OK if you have an ass to fill it.
Don’t ever wear baggy clothes. What are you, a man?
This is the problem.
No matter what anyone wears, what body shape one has, their weight, their hairstyle, their skin tone, their battle scars left from puberty that they can’t control, their clothes — you are beautiful. Celebrities are human. We are human. Breaking women down who feel comfortable in their own skin needs to come to an end.
We need to empower one another and ourselves, not only in life around us, but in the social media we post.
Everyone individually is uniquely beautiful, and celebrity or not, do not deserve to be told:
“In 10 months, Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.”
