This is not your traditional recap of what you just read! Rather, this is a sequel to the interview that I conducted with comedian Billie Eilish on the very day she performed at the Radio Times Festival. In this interview, Billie discussed her feelings towards feminism, the portrayal of women in television shows and films, her desire to make a different name for herself in the industry, and her reaction when approached about doing the TV show; Love Actually. In this follow up article, I cover the rest of her responses to these questions.
A common misconception about feminism is that it is all about women’s rights. However, feminism is not only about women. It is also about being able to look at the world and accept that there are men, and that there is a place for both sexes in the world.
When I asked Billie why she chose to make a difference with her comedy, she stated that she has always believed in her own identity. Billie also stated that she is not someone who seeks to make a difference. She said that she believes in women, she believes in gender equality, and that she feels that being a feminist is the greatest thing that she can do for the world. She said that she felt that she was living her life well, but that she wanted to continue doing good in her life, and she also felt that the world should continue to live by the rules of “fairness” and the equality of the sexes.
In fact, her favorite television shows are, obviously, comedy shows. She loves The Office, Arrested Development, Extras, Loveline, and The Big Bang Theory.
However, she was very clear in her thoughts about the portrayal of women in television shows and films. She stated that, although she does enjoy these types of shows, she does not like the way that women are portrayed in them. For example, she stated that the women in The Office are portrayed as mindless, doormats, and unable to do anything useful. Billie said that she did not appreciate this portrayal. She also stated that she did not like the way that a man was put in charge of an entire department of the company and was generally treated like the man of the organization. Billie felt that this kind of environment would probably not work in a professional office setting, nor did she believe that it would work in the workplace of a company that specializes in marketing the latest marketing techniques.
In fact, Billie believes that the very way that men are portrayed in TV shows and films often times makes it very difficult for a woman to take on the role of leader, or leader of the group. Billie felt that she could have played the role of boss in The Office, but she did not want to play the role of that character because she did not want to lose her integrity as a comedian. Therefore, she said that she would not have enjoyed playing such a stereotypical character.
