When you’ve been in the public eye since your early teens, self-discovery, something that’s hard enough without the heat of the spotlight shining down on you, is a minefield. Billie Eilish knows that better than most.
The “Ocean Eyes” singer first fueled rumors about her sexuality in 2021 with the music video for her song “Lost Cause” which featured a sleepover scenario with a group of girls acting suggestively. In a trend that is now thankfully being re-evaluated following its harmful consequences of forcing people out of the closet before they’re ready, Eilish was accused by the internet of queerbaiting (i.e. using queer themes to attract attention). The Grammy winner has since gradually addressed her sexuality rather explicitly, not because people demanded it, but because she wanted to.
Is Billie Eilish queer?
Eilish hasn’t expressed exactly what labels she feels most comfortable using. Still, she has spoken about her attraction to women and even posted a photo with a “Gay & Tired” filter over her face on Instagram.
Some fans interpreted the selfie as Eilish coming out, which was then supported by an interview with Variety where she revealed she was “physically attracted” to women. The musician opened up about her relationship with girls and how she’s always felt intimidated by them, “their beauty and their presence,” despite “loving them” and being “attracted to them as people.”
Everyone will have an opinion about what Eilish is trying to convey, but it can’t get much clearer than this. Equally, nobody in the LGBTQIA+ community should ever feel any obligation to come out in any big way, with a flashy statement or a big reveal.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old is living in her truth, and she tells Variety she’s “becoming a person [she] really [loves],” and in many ways is only now waking up to both the world around her and within her. That’s no small feat for someone who’s been a public figure since they were 13 and has had strangers all over the world express their opinions on everything from her body to her relationships all before she had even hit 20.
While only she can say whether she meant to come out with her “Gay & Tired” post and her Variety interview, she also doesn’t have to clarify anything if she doesn’t want to. All we can do is give her the space and time she needs to discover her own identity and preferences.