Billie Eilish was left in tears as she opened up about her body image in a candid spread for British Vogue.
The singer, 23, covers the Fashion Bible’s May edition and was set the task of answering a slew of questions from her celebrity pals and peers.
She admitted she was left emotional by Nicki Minaj, who asked her: ‘This may be an odd question, but you seem to be a bit uncomfortable with how beautiful you are at times. I could be wrong.
‘Many women from all walks of life have felt that their work was overshadowed by their beauty or their physical attributes.
‘Was there ever a time in your career, or before you made it, when you wished people couldn’t see you and that they could only hear the music, and really get a chance to just listen to the written words?’
Billie confessed: ‘Nicki, this question made me tear up a little.’
Billie Eilish was left in tears as she admitted she’s ‘never really felt beautiful’ in a candid chat and pH๏τoshoot for British Vogue
The singer, 23, covers the fashion Bible’s May edition and was set the task of answering a slew of questions from her celebrity pals and peers
Billie admitted: ‘I’ve had to really convince myself that I am beautiful. Being a woman is hard’ (pictured at the 2022 Met Gala)
She continued: ‘Well… like you said at the beginning of that question, I’ve never really felt very beautiful or seen myself in that way, so I definitely never struggled with the idea that it would overshadow anything, since I didn’t even really see it myself.
‘I’ve had to really convince myself that I am beautiful. Being a woman is hard.’
The topic of beauty came up again when Stella McCartney asked her about her decision to go vegan.
She admitted that she was initially convinced she would stay vegetarian but ‘went vegan a few years after, which was mainly because I hated my body and I thought I would lose weight.
‘But then I learnt all about the dairy industry and the completely horrific and disturbing animal agriculture that we all just pretend is normal and OK.’
Billie also discussed how her artistry has changed her as a person.
Michaela Coel asked her: how she can ‘ensure you grow as a human while being exactly the kind of person you want to be?’
To which she responded: ‘I had no idea [when I was younger] that I was doing anything fearlessly.
‘When I would hear people comment that I was only 16 and not fitting in with the stereotype — that I was a rebel or whatever — I remember being really confused because I didn’t see it that way.’
She was left emotional by Nicki Minaj , who asked her: ‘This may be an odd question, but you seem to be a bit uncomfortable with how beautiful you are at times’ (pictured in 2019)
The topic of beauty came up again wh asked about her decision to go vegan. She admitted ‘I went vegan mainly because I hated my body and I thought I would lose weight’
She continued: ‘I just felt like I was doing what I thought was cool. I was not intentionally trying to break any mould or rules or change music. I kind of just stayed true to what I liked and what I wanted.
‘But the older I get, there really have been many periods of doubt and fear and feeling so much pressure, and then when more people knew me, more people had something to say.
‘It was hard to remember to trust myself or even believe in myself sometimes. It’s still a process. I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve also always been very strong-willed and very much myself, so I do think that plays a part.’
Talk also turned to where she sees herself in the future, with Greta Gerwig asking where she imagined she’d be aged 85.
‘God, if I even live to 85, but if I do I would love to be embracing who I am, embracing being old, hoping the world hasn’t ended yet, that would be my main hope,’ she explained.
‘Hopefully, we have a good president – many good presidents – by then. And that I have kids and they have kids and life is awesome.’
See the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday April 22.
Talk also turned to where she sees herself in the future, with Billie musing: ‘I would love to be embracing who I am, embracing being old, hoping the world hasn’t ended yet’