Billie Eilish stripped during a performance to protest sexism and body shaming Monday.
Fans were stunned when, during a concert Monday night at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, 18-year-old Eilish took off her shirt and then stripped down to her bra during a spoken-word interlude.
Footage of the incident that emerged on social media shows Eilish removing her clothes as she performed a monologue.
The singer addressed sexism and body shaming as it affects young women.
Some fans shared the full text of her monologue on social media (see Twitter post below):
“You have opinions about my opinions, about my music, about my clothes, about my body. Some people hate what I wear, some people praise it, some people use it to shame others, some people use it to shame me, but I feel you watching, always, and nothing I do goes unseen. So while I feel your stares, your disapproval or your sigh of relief, if I lived by them, I’d never be able to move.”
Dialogue of @BillieEilish’s interlude video at her Miami concert. (via @watchmyxanny) pic.twitter.com/YCdarBL2oG
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 10, 2020
.@BillieEilish showed off her body in visuals during an interlude at her concert in Miami. pic.twitter.com/zhj3lHNH4b
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 10, 2020
She then removes the baggy shirt she was wearing to reveal a black tank top.
She continued:
“Would you like me to be smaller? Weaker? Softer? Taller? Would you like me to be quiet? Do my shoulders provoke you? Does my chest? Am I my stomach? My hips? The body I was born with, is it not what you wanted? If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman If I shed the layers, I’m a slut. Though you’ve never seen my body, you still judge it and judge me for it. Why?”
She proceeded to remove the tank top to reveal a black bra.
this moment will go down in the music's story, BILLIE IS SO ICONIC pic.twitter.com/aaHu0mFtmF
— juan (@watchmyxanny) March 10, 2020
She concluded:
“We make assumptions about people based on their size. We decide who they are, we decide what they’re worth. If I wear more, if I wear less, who decides what that makes me? What that means? Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?”
A fan can be heard screaming as Billie Eilish stripped. The crowd roared after she removed the black tank top leaving only her bra.
Fans posted videos and images of the performance and praised Eilish
Fans praised Eilish for her performance and the bold message about sexism, body-shaming, and the challenges young women face in the entertainment industry.
She is absolutely perfect?. pic.twitter.com/gpAYhAWeES
— ????? (@Eilishvintage) March 10, 2020
"So while I feel your stares, your disapproval or your sigh of relief, if I lived by them, I’d never be able to move. … If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I’m a slut."
Protect her at all costs! ? ? ❤️https://t.co/7HcwjH9xUs
— ???????? ✨ (@FigliaDiLilith) March 10, 2020
this is why i love this girl so much #BillieEilish so strong and powerful pic.twitter.com/hVtTlpYC57
— victoria rodriguez (@VictoriaPortz) March 10, 2020
this part was INSANE. she said “do my shoulders provoke you?” SHE WENT OFF #BillieEilish ?? pic.twitter.com/mJg46mB3xA
— amanda (@butwhocouldstay) March 10, 2020
Another Twitter user praised Eilish for being a positive and empowering role model for females.
the strongest, most empowering woman i know. billie eilish. pic.twitter.com/XfNxoSmnlZ
— nat (@sheshostage) March 10, 2020
Jennifer Lopez posted a photo on Instagram showing her meeting Eilish backstage after the performance.
Billy Eilish is known for wearing loose-fitting clothes to hide her body
Billie Eilish is known for wearing loose-fitting clothes, such as oversized T-shirts and baggy jeans and pants. She revealed during a May 2019 May campaign shoot for Calvin Klein that she wore baggy clothes because she did not want to draw unwanted attention to her body.
She said she didn’t want people to know too much about her and that she wore loose-fitting clothes in a baggy style because people won’t be able to form an opinion about her body if they haven’t seen it.
But soon after, in an interview with Elle in September 2019, she said she may stop wearing baggy clothes when she turns 18.