Billie Eilish debuted a new look on the June cover of British Vogue that imploded the internet — and made her never want to post on social media again.
The 19-year-old ditched the black and neon green hair that she sported for most of 2020 for an icy blonde colour, and instead of oversized hoodies and sweatsuits, she graced the magazine cover in classic pin-up girl lingerie. When Eilish shared a photo from the shoot on Instagram on May 2, she received a million likes on it in under six minutes — a new record. However, Eilish admitted that while the attention has mostly been flattering, the experience has also made her feel overwhelmed.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"I do get excited [about the response]. I think it more just makes me never want to post again," she told Stephen Colbert on the May 10 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. "I feel like I wanted to post more when less people cared. And now that more people care, it's like scary to me. But it's amazing!"
In the interview that accompanied the shoot, however, Eilish said that she expected that her clothing choice — as well as her more mature, sexy image — might be controversial.
"Showing your body and showing your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you," she said. "It's all about what makes you feel good. If you want to get surgery, go get surgery. If you want to wear a dress that somebody thinks that you look too big wearing, fuck it – if you feel like you look good, you look good."
The point of the new look, however, is also to usher in a new era of Eilish, which will include a new album, Happier Than Ever. Dropping on July 30, Eilish's sophomore project is her favourite to date. “This is my favourite thing I’ve ever created and I am so excited and nervous and EAGER for you to hear it,” she wrote on Instagram. “I can’t even tell you. I’ve never felt so much love for a project than I do for this one. Hope you feel what I feel.”
She also said as much to Colbert on his show: "I'm so excited about this album. It's my favourite thing I've ever created. I'm just so proud of it and feel so cocky about it, I gotta tell you."