Billie Eilish caused an uproar when she traded her signature baggy clothing and neon green and black hair for lingerie and blonde hair for the cover of British Vogue earlier this year, but the 19-year-old singer says she is not letting the overwhelming response get to her.
Speaking in an interview with Vanity Fair, Eilish explained that she was not unveiling a new look when she did the shoot, but that was how people took it. And not everyone was happy.
"I did that Vogue cover, and it was a genre that we were doing the shoot for," she said, according to Yahoo.
"It was an old kind of Hollywood lingerie kind of classic thing. And it was supposed to be a specific aesthetic for a photoshoot and then it was like 'Billie Eilish's new style' and people kept being like 'Wow, her new style it’s so much better than the old style.' Or like, 'Wow, I wish that we could have her old style back, I'm so sad that she's just changed into this.'"
Eilish described the response as "weird" because the photoshoot was not symbolic of her shedding her former image.
"It was so weird because I was like, It's not a new style, it's one thing I wore and then I’m gonna wear this another day, and then I'm gonna do this," she said during the interview. "Literally the thing that I've been preaching about since I first started is wear what you want.
"Dress how you want, act how you want, talk how you want, be how you want. That's all I've ever said. It’s just being open to new things and not letting people ruin it for you."
Eilish has appeared in more feminine style before, most notably when she graced the red carpet at the Met Gala wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown. And while Eilish did receive a nod of approval from the fashion world, her newer looks have alienated some fans.
Eilish previously revealed to Elle that she lost around 100,000 followers on Instagram after posting a photo of herself wearing a corset with a lace bra underneath. Eilish admitted to Vanity Fair that she was initially scared to lose her fans, but it is something that no longer worries her.
"I was more loved. I was pretty overall like loved, I would say, to be honest. And so I was like scared because I wanted to keep that love," she told Vanity Fair. "And now, tons of people hate me, so I'm not worried anymore. I'm like, OK well, if you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't, so."