Billie Eilish opened up about her relationship with Jesse Rutherford on Vanity Fair’s latest episode of their annual interview with her – six years after their very first video was released.
Rutherford and Eilish went public with their relationship in October 2022, but faced backlash from fans due to their age gap.
Rutherford is 31, 11 years older than Eilish – but because Rutherford has been an idol of Eilish in the past, creating a potentially lopsided power dynamic between the current couple who met when Eilish was underage.
As Eilish gushed about her new romance, fans wondered about her ability to discern some of the flaws in their relationship.
Billie Eilish’s past statements about her dysfunctional relationships with older men have fans worried about her romance with Jesse Rutherford.
Among the wide variety of questions the star has asked herself over the years, one question stood out among many: do you have a boyfriend?
The camera locks onto Eilish’s face as she watches her past answer the dreaded question and when asked the same question now in 2022, Eilish simply replies, “Yeah, I do.”
“And it’s really cool and I’m really excited and I’m really happy about it,” she said.
Of course, fans are aware of her brand new relationship with the neighborhood leader. But the last part of his response left fans worried.
“I managed to work my way to a point in my life where not only was I known to someone who I thought was the sexiest f-king f-ker in the world, but I shot his a-.”
Without looking to date Eilish, fans point out that what she’s describing may not be as much of a power play on her part as she suggests.
Eilish, who became a household name in her early teens, repeatedly spoke about being sexualized from a young age and spoke about having dysfunctional relationships with men. After all, that’s why she started her career in baggy clothes that hid her figure.
In 2019, Eilish revealed that her reason for wearing oversized clothes was to avoid having her sexuality analyzed while still underage.
“No one can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath. No one can say ‘she’s thin’, ‘she’s not thin’,” she said in a Calvin Klein ad.
Her past honesty has led fans to point out that while Eilish should have the freedom to date whoever she wants, she could potentially help normalize power imbalances in relationships.
Billie Eilish says she never felt “powerful” or “wanted” in her past relationships.
In a 2020 interview with British GQ, Eilish was vulnerable about how she never felt desirable in her relationships due to her body issues.
“I never felt wanted. My old boyfriends never made me feel wanted. None of them,” she said.
“And it’s a big thing in my life that I’ve never been physically wanted by anyone.”
Eilish has also been candid about how she’s never felt “powerful” in her relationships.
“I never felt powerful in a relationship. I’m not attracted to people anymore,” she said.
Billie Eilish has also hinted that she was sexually abused by older men.
In a raw and surprisingly honest 2021 interview with British Vogue, Eilish spoke candidly about the significance of her song “Your Power” which explores the complicated reality of being a young woman in situations controlled by older men.
“Try not to abuse your power,” she sings in the track.
“It’s an open letter to the people who profit from it – mostly men,” Eilish told British Vogue.
“Before, I didn’t understand why age mattered. And, of course, you feel that way when you’re young, because you’re the oldest you’ve ever been. You feel so mature and you know everything .
At the time, fans suspected Eilish may have been singing about her ex Quenton Adams – who she started dating when she was 17 and he was 22. She previously discussed her “destructive” behavior in her Apple TV documentary.
She continued to date Matthew Tyler Vorce throughout 2021 – a relationship that sparked more controversy as he was 30 when she was just 19.
In her chat with British Vogue, Eilish also opened up about the abuse – although details weren’t shared in the published interview.
“You can always be taken advantage of. It’s a big deal in the world of domestic violence or statutory rape – girls who were very confident and determined find themselves in situations where they’re like, ‘Oh my god, am I the victim here?’ she declared.
“And it’s so embarrassing and humiliating and demoralizing to be in this position of thinking you know so much and then you realize I’m being abused right now.”
Her past experiences have left fans concerned about Eilish and Rutherford’s relationship.
For someone who has been acutely aware of the sexualization of women in the industry and the power imbalances, fans felt the need to protect Eilish from finding herself once again in a cycle of abuse.
Victoria Soliz is a writer at YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. His work explores trends in pop culture, film and television, and celebrity news.
