Since coming out, Billie Eilish has faced backlash, scrutiny, and even skepticism. Sadly, it’s not surprising.
We shouldn’t have to do this every time. Billie Eilish came out as some shade of LGBT, but everyone knew this already. Entertainment news doesn’t seem to be able to talk about anything else.
A portion of her Instagram following has abandoned her profile. Some “fans” took to words to express their grievance at her queerness. The media and some of her remaining fanbase began scrutinizing her words.
Meanwhile, everyone else is left looking as her coming out is turned into gossip by publications of every disposition. Social commentary on nothing in particular. Content for the content farm. It shouldn’t be this way, but being shocked is hard. The same thing happens after most public coming-out stories.
When did Billie Eilish come out?
Billie Eilish came out on November 11 through a Variety article. Her coming out was messy, as those things often are.
In a later statement, Eilish said she didn’t realize she was even doing it, explaining that she doesn’t “really believe in it”:
“I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist’? I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it. Whoops.”
Some fans believe that Eilish had previously given hints as to her sexuality. In response, the singer asked that fans not speculate on those aspects of her private life. We won’t be looking at those cases, partly out of respect and partly because there’s nothing to discuss.
How was Billie Eilish coming out received?
Following Eilish’s interview with Variety, fans didn’t waste time taking sides. Immediately, they began scrutinizing each of the star’s declarations. Did she accuse Variety of outing her, or was she frustrated at the public’s reaction? Are the previous accusations of queerbaiting still valid, or were they always rubbish?
By some counts, the superstar lost 100,000 followers on Instagram. While the numbers are nothing to scoff at, they pale compared to some of the harassment she received. And while the most vile homophobic content came in the form of Instagram comments, some media publications weren’t much behind.
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As is often the case when a big star comes out, fans and media tore into the news with no remorse. They turned this extremely normal statement, which appears to have been made begrudgingly, into gossip. It all becomes especially ironic when considering one of Eilish’s first comments, “Why can’t we just exist?”
We must remember that a real person is behind every Instagram post and red-carpet soundbite. Even ignoring that one person, so many more will read your comments. And they will think: “Will they say that to me too? Is this what everyone will think when I come out?”
How did the media react to Eilish coming out?
Billie Eilish didn’t just lose some followers after coming out. Many “critics” have accused her of lots of things. From reinforcing stereotypes about bisexual women to queerbaiting, Eilish’s coming out wasn’t well received. But reading those headlines, one has to wonder: what are those critics criticizing, if not her sexuality?
Accusing a queer person of falling into the wrong stereotype is an indictment of the stereotype, not of the person. Bringing up contradicting statements about one’s sexual orientation is to blame gay people for being victims of heteronormativity.
But it gets worse. Of course, it gets worse. Some especially vile publications brought up the possibility that those 100 thousand followers were just bots. Bots that conveniently disappeared as the star came out. Those must be some very homophobic bots, assuming they’re also the ones harassing the singer online.
Maybe we would all be better if we stopped obsessing over a singer’s relation to her sexuality. We don’t need to know the word she identifies with or the day she came out. We gain nothing by fixating on whether Eilish was outed or if her “tomboy nature” makes the news less surprising (it doesn’t).
Maybe Eilish said it best at the very start: “[I] like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares.”
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Billie Eilish on Stage. Featured Photo Credit: Nathan DeFiesta.
