Both “Physically Attracted to” and “So Intimidated” by Women, Says Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish Says Shes Both Physically Attracted To And So Intimidated By Women

Billie Eilishshared that she is “physically attracted” to women in a new interview, after enduring years of often invasive speculation over her sexuality.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter casually revealed the detail in an interview published Monday with the entertainment trade publication Variety in which she discussed her relationships with women more generally.

“I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well,” Eilish said. “I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”

She continued, “I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”

Eilish’s choice to share the personal detail should hopefully put an end to any accusations of “queerbaiting” — a term coined to describe fictional characters being used to tease LGBTQ+ audiences, not real people exploring their sexuality. The singer notably faced queerbaiting allegations in June 2021 after her music video “Lost Cause”featured her and several girls being flirtatious at a slumber party. Eilish responded with a screenshot of the video and a caption that simply said “I love girls.” In October of that year, Eilish clapped back at the intense fan scrutiny she faces, saying, “Or my sexuality! Like, oh yeah, that’s everyone else’s business, right? No. Where’s that energy with men?”

The 21-year-old artist also opened up toVarietyabout her own discomfort with being sexualized. Asked about her wardrobe of oversized T-shirts, Eilish responded, “I didn’t want people to have access to my body, even visually. I wasn’t strong enough and secure enough to show it. Maybe my not really caring about being sexualized is because I’ve never felt desired or desirable.”

While theVarietyinterview marks the first time the singer has publicly addressed her sexuality, Eilish has certainly dropped plenty of hints. This past Friday, the singer posted an Instagram story of herself with a filter that read“Gay & Tired”over her face. In August, Eilish named actress Maya Hawke as hercelebrity crushin an Instagram Q&A. Then, when someone responded with just the question “Fruity?” sheposted an imageof a fruit salad in response.

Eilish also spoke to Variety about her mega-hit song “What Was I Made For?” off the Barbie soundtrack, which received four of the OST’s 11 total Grammy nominations. She said that the song, as well as the music video, has helped her examine her relationship with her own femininity, which the publication described as “tenuous.”

“I’ve never felt like a woman, to be honest with you,” Eilish said. “I’ve never felt desirable. I’ve never felt feminine. I have to convince myself that I’m, like, a pretty girl.” She added, “I identify as ‘she/her’ and things like that, but I’ve never really felt like a girl.”

It’s important to note that, as of this writing, Eilish has not chosen specific terminology to publicly describe her sexuality or her gender. We also hope the pop star didn’t just open up about these details to quell the screeches of a terminally online fanbase. The tone of her comments seem to suggest she felt safe to explore the topics in more detail than she has in the press before. That in and of itself is cause for celebration.

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