Billie Eilish delivers powerful speech on womanhood at Power of Women: “It’s really hard to be a woman out here”
Billie Eilish delivered a tearful speech about being a woman at the recent Power of Women event. Additionally, she performed a heartfelt rendition of her emotional ballad, ‘What Was I Made For?’.
The powerful speech was triggered by Ariana Greenblatt, known for her role in Barbie, sharing a heartfelt tale about her encounter with Eilish at the movie premiere.
“I was still processing the fact that she made a song for the movie, a song that resonates with me and probably many of you in a deep way. I did not think I would be capable of meeting her, let alone holding a conversation with her,” Greenblatt said.
She added: “Well, that night I did get to meet her, and it was the biggest full-circle moment thus far in my life. That night was the start of a friendship that I cherish and hold close to my heart.”
In response, Eilish explained why she doesn’t like giving speeches and would prefer to “give my platform to people who know what the fuck they’re talking about.” However, Greenblatt’s words struck a chord, and she expressed her appreciation for the young actor. “I was so young and I’m still young but coming up and being 15,” Eilish said. “It’s really fucking me up a little bit to think about. I don’t be crying, I’m not a crying person. Like I’m zooted right now, sorry.”
She continued: “But it’s really hard to be a woman out here guys… I’ve never felt truly like a woman. I’ve spent a lot of my life not feeling like I fit in to being a woman… This sounds kind of fucked up but I have a lot of internalised misogyny inside of me and I find it coming out in places I don’t want it to. And I have to say, with full transparency, I feel very grateful to be a woman right now. I feel very proud, and I feel very honoured to be here.”
Eilish also thanked her mother, who was sitting in the front row, and promised her that she would buy her anything that she wanted, earning some laughs from the audience.
After the speech, Eilish and her co-writer and brother Finneas performed her Grammy-nominated hit, which has resonated with women across the globe since its release and debut at Lollapalooza.
Eilish previously opened up about the song in a recent interview, stating that it helped her to change her perspective on womanhood.
“It was so moving, dude. It was so, so touching,” she told Variety, “I feel like I helped bring people together, and it felt so special. I wasn’t expecting to have women around the world feel connected.”
Watch the speech below.
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