Billie Eilish Speaks Out Against Extreme Dieting: “It’s Not a Fun Way to Live”

Billie Eilish’s Warning About Extreme Diets

Billie Eilish has warned fans about the dangers of extreme diets.

Reflections on Body Image

Talking about NPR Fresh Air in the podcast, the singer reflected on her previous body image issues and explained that she was least happy when she was trying to control her weight.

“A couple of years ago… I was on a really intense health journey and I lost a lot of weight,” she explained. “I was thinner than ever and stronger than ever. But individually I was extremely unhappy and didn’t realize how unhappy I was. It's not an interesting way of life.”

Eilish has previously spoken about her body image, dating back to 2019, when she revealed that a hip injury she suffered led to a bout of depression as a teenager.

“It sent me into a hole,” she recalled at the time. “I went through a whole phase of self-harm – we don’t need to go into that. But the point is, I felt like I deserved to be hurt.”

In 2023, she continued to reflect on how she felt her body was “lighting her up” after her injury.

“As a teenager, I hated myself and all this stupid bullshit,” the “Hit Me Hard And Soft” singer told the publication. “A lot of it was a result of my anger at my body and how angry I was about how much pain it caused me and how much I lost because of what happened to me.”

Eilish continued: “I felt like my body was gassing me for years. I had to go through a process where I thought: my body is actually me. And it is not directed against me.”

Discussing Self-Esteem and Image

In 2021, Eilish responded to an article that accused her of “selling out” during Fashion photo shoot for the cover, where she debuted a new look. The singer previously only wore baggy clothes, a decision she explained in a 2019 Calvin Klein ad campaign.

“No one can have an opinion because they haven't seen what's underneath them,” she said. “No one can say, 'She's slim-fat', 'She's not slim-fat', 'She's got a flat ass', 'She's got a fat ass.' Nobody can say any of this because they don’t know.”

That same year, she again spoke about self-esteem in an interview with the magazine Guardian, saying: “Ever since I was a child, my father and I always talked about a certain type of person who is so insecure, too conscientious and shy that they never move in a strange way or make a strange face because they always want to look good.”

“I noticed this and it really upsets me. If you always stand a certain way, walk a certain way and your hair is always this way… It's such a loss to always try to look good all the time. It’s such a loss of joy and freedom in the body.”

In other news, Eilish just wrapped up the U.S. leg of her “Hit Me Hard And Soft” tour with five shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood.

During one of her hometown shows, she also invited Charli XCX as a special guest to perform their remix of “Guess.” The track is nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. Both artists are also competing for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and more.

Eilish also recently performed snippets of two new songs during a recent interview and revealed that she's “getting into music” again.

Her song “Birds Of A Feather” was recently named the magazine's 12th best song of 2024 by NME. Her album “Hit Me Hard And Soft” was also named in NME‘s list of the best albums of 2024, ranked ninth.