Billie Eilish has said in a recent interview that she “didn’t feel sexy” when she was blonde and that people treated her “differently”.
The 20-year-old said: “I didn’t feel sexy for one second of being blonde. When I was blonde, people treated me differently. People completely changed their demeanour [around me].”
The “Bad Guy” singer previously had a signature lime green and black hairstyle, before dying her hair platinum blonde in March 2021, a look that she debuted alongside the launch of her album Happier Than Ever. The new look attracted the attention of fans, as the singer also abandoned her signature baggy outfits for a pink corset.
“People saw me as this 15-year-old, a kid, who wore this kind of stuff, looked this kind of way, acted this kind of way, said this kind of way. I felt like I couldn’t change,” Eilish said in an interview with Highsnobiety.
Eilish continued: “That’s why I went so far to the other side. I was trying to prove, ‘Hey, f** you guys, I can do whatever I want.’ Now I can look really masculine if I want, and really feminine if I want.”
In the interview, the “Ocean Eyes” singer admitted that she found people took her “more seriously” due to her “masculine” way of dressing. She said: “If I had been more feminine and girl, people would’ve been a lot less respectful of me.”
Eilish’s recently announced relationship with The Neighbour singer Jesse Rutherford, 31, has received scrutiny for the 11-year age gap between the pair.
In her sixth annual Vanity Fair video interview (28 November), the singer opened up about the relationship. When asked if she has a boyfriend, Eilish applauded herself for “pulling” Rutherford.
The singer added that she is “really excited and really happy” about her relationship with the fellow musician, claiming they shared a mutual “love language” of physical touch.