Billie Eilish: A Style Icon
Billie Eillish is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. She is increasingly a style icon through realeases of her darker, more artistic music videos and her genuine nature on social media. Her early fans have seen her transformation from a young 15-year-old breakout artist to an established star in only two years. In a similar way as young Madonna or Lady Gaga, Billie remains authentic to herself and her overall image as an artist. Her style is completely unique and somewhat unexpected. In many of her music videos, Eilish shows viewers a dark side to her art through with her style and performance. On Instagram though, her fans can see a more playful personality. While she is multifaceted in her delivery, she remains consistent in her style, rarely straying from cotton candy colored hair and oversized clothing. This consistency has gained her a loyal following with over 13 million followers, determined to mimic her every style choice.
Eilish's debut single “Ocean Eyes” was the record that put her on the map as a serious artist. As the song gained immense success, she released a music video that showed the early stages of an iconic star. She wore a simple black shirt with her signature colored hair in a subtle violet shade. As the video progresses, she smears blue powder over her face. Though this video might not have seemed shocking in itself, it was a precursor to more unconventional videos to come.
In the “When the Party’s Over” music video, Eilish portrays an increasingly intense role. She wears an oversized white t-shirt with chains around her neck and keeps a deep midnight blue hue to her hair. She shocks the viewers with drinking a navy blue ink that eventually pours out of her eyes, leaving for the viewer to decide whether it is tears or blood. In her most recent video, “Bury a Friend,” Eilish continues to show her dark side with an almost terror-like video which includes black then white contacts, an oversized white outfit, chains and striking turquoise hair.
The artistry and production involved in Eilish's video is on par with Gaga’s full outfit of meat and Madonna’s iconic, “Like a Virgin” music video. However, Eilish takes it one step further as she thinks of the concepts herself. The simplicity of her clothing gives even more shock value to the armor-like needles in her back and navy blue tears engulfing her. Eilish strikes a sought-after balance of simplicity and outrageousness in her performance that leaves every viewer wondering what might be going on inside her young mind.
Though Eilish plays such a dark character in her music videos, she maintains a more sarcastic and playful persona on Instagram. Though many style and personality features carry over, most prominently, her affinity for oversized clothing and dark humor. On her Instagram account, @wherearetheavocados, Eilish posts oversized, often colorful outfits daily accented by witty matter-of-fact captions. She has an angelic face that is only more contrasted by the androgynous, unconventional style that has come to define her. Eilish's Instagram looks have sparked numerous fan accounts and articles revealing how admirers can obtain her coveted and unique aesthetic.
When asked about her style in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar, Eilish stated, “I just like dressing out of my comfort zone. I want to dress in a way that if I was in a room full of people wearing regular clothes, I would be like, ‘Oh I bet everyone’s looking at me.'” This short comment perfectly sums up why Eilish is becoming such an icon: she takes risks and doesn’t care what others think. Whether in her music, performance or fashion sense, Eilish stays true to her own vision. Her upcoming album will only give her more chances to show off this unique style.
