Billie Eilish Just Called Out People Trying to Impersonate Her in Public
Billie Eilish has a warning to all those trying to impersonate her: just don’t.
On January 30, the “Bad Guy” singer and Grammy Award winner made her thoughts crystal clear with a series of Instagram Stories. “Please stop doing this sh*t. It is not safe for you and it is mean to the people who don’t know any better,” Billie captioned her first story, which featured a YouTuber who pretended to be her in public. “You make me look bad,” Billie ended the slide.
The singer continued to share many Billie Eilish impersonation videos that now populate YouTube to her Stories, pleading the impersonators to “stop.” Undoubtedly, Billie knows the dangers of being a pop star with a public face. In her relatively short time in the limelight, she’s been both ambushed by fans and harassed by autograph seekers. So it’s clear to understand why, in her eyes, subjecting someone to the star treatment who isn’t used to her level of fandom could prove dangerous.
The mood of Billie’s posts wasn’t entirely grave, however. To close out the story, she added a quick drag to those impersonating with clothes that don’t quite level up to her Gucci standards. “Soooo disrespectful that you’d go out pretending to be me wearing THIS,” she quipped, noting the fake Billie’s crinkled lime pants, off-brand sneakers, and high socks.
The impersonator in question was discovered to be a dancer dressed as Billie as part of a choreographed cheer stunt. The photographer who originally orchestrated the stunt, Jordan Matter, took to Instagram to respond to the drama.
“I had absolutely no intention of disrespecting Billie. I’m a big fan, like everyone else,” Jordan explained in the post, which included a photo of the eventual stunt. “I felt it was completely harmless since at no time in the video are we pretending that she is actually Billie. I have reached out directly to Billie and Maggie and apologized, and I will not post the video without their permission.”
While celebrity impersonations can be fun, impersonating someone else with malicious intent can have severe consequences. So take Billie’s advice and, for both safety and legal reasons, think twice before pretending to be someone you’re not.
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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
