It’s completely common for a 21-year-old like Billie Eilish to be on social media like Instagram and TikTok, but what sets her apart from other people her age is the fact that she’s a global music superstar. Eilish has millions of adoring fans, but the internet being what it is, when she logs on to social media apps on her phone, yes, she sees the discourse about her. And as she recently opened up about, she sometimes stays up at night to a lot of negative commentary about her.
With Eilish being the public figure that she is, there are a lot of opinions going around about her, most of which probably don’t think that the “Happier Than Ever” singer will actually look at. Social media users have commented on things like the age-gap backlash regarding her boyfriend Jesse Rutherford and past award show fashion choices. Here’s what the singer recently shared about her relationship with the internet:
I have this inevitable feeling of, 'Oh, everyone hates me.' With the world of TikTok and social media, there is a level where it’s kind of true, because there are these videos. I’m lying in bed last night, and I go on TikTok because I’m falling asleep, and I just want to be mindless for a second, watch some funny videos.
Eilish opened up about how she feels sometimes when she goes online during a conversation with Lana Del Rey for Interview Magazine. She continued by saying this:
I keep scrolling and I’m thinking, 'Billie, put your phone away. You’re getting tired.' Then I swipe to the next one and it’s a video with millions of likes and it’s something about how I’m a horrible person. And all these comments are like, 'I’m so glad that you guys are seeing through her.' And I’m like, 'Damn.'
Directed By: Robert Rodriguez, Kerry Asmussen & Patrick Osborne
Starring: Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell, Gustavo Dudamel, The Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Los Angeles Children's Chorus
How To Stream: Disney+ subscription
Receiving one hateful comment online is enough to put a pit in one’s stomach, but Billie Eilish has to deal with a magnified amount of reactions and hate posts due to her widespread fame than the typical social media user would. I mean, one time, Eilish lost thousands of followers all because she posted some of her sketches of nude women. As the singer shared, just like many of us, she goes to social media sometimes to be “mindless” and check out a funny video, but then sometimes she comes across a negative and viral post about her, and it’s a tough pill to swallow.
During Eilish’s conversation with fellow singer Lana Del Rey, the “Summertime Sadness” artist commented that the idea of Eilish getting so much hate is hard for her to “fathom,” and said she thinks “it’s always the nice ones” that get faced with backlash. Del Rey shared she feels like because Eilish has “revealed so much,” there is “nothing to say” about her and then narratives are created.
Billie Eilish is currently getting ready to finish off two more legs of her world tour for the 2021 album Happier Than Ever in South America in spring, and is taking on more dates in Europe this summer. The singer also uses her platform to be an activist for climate change and recently released a new fragrance and Nike line. Hopefully Eilish’s latest comments is a solid reminder that she is a human being and is affected by hateful comments just like anyone would be.
