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Not My Responsibility

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Not My Responsibility
The film's title, written in yellow, over a black screen
Title card
Written byBillie Eilish
Produced byBillie Eilish
StarringBillie Eilish
Release dates
    • March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09) (Miami)
    • May 26, 2020 (2020-05-26) (online)
Running time
4 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Not My Responsibility is a 2020 American short film written and produced by singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. A commentary on body shaming and double standards placed upon young women's appearances, it features a monologue from Eilish about the media scrutiny surrounding her body. The film is spoken-word and stars Eilish in a dark room, where she gradually undresses before submerging herself in black substance.

The film premiered during Elish's Where Do We Go? World Tour on March 9, 2020, as a concert interlude, and was released online on May 26, 2020. Critics gave positive reviews, praising the commentary and tone, which they considered empowering. The film's audio was later included as a song on Eilish's second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021). Some music journalists described it as the album's thematic centerpiece; others questioned its appearance on the tracklist, feeling that it lost its emotional impact without the visuals.

Background and release

American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish released her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, in March 2019, to commercial success; the album assisted her rise to widespread recognition.[1][2] Her fashion style at the time, specifically her choice to wear baggy clothing, attracted public attention and scrutiny.[3][4] She wore such clothes to avoid sexual objectification, being extremely conscious about her body as a teenager who had struggled with her self-image since 11 years old.[5][6][7] Eilish faced several comments about how she was undesirable and unfeminine for it and how she needed to "act like a woman" to be more attractive.[8]

Upon turning 18 years old, Eilish thought about wearing less oversized clothes. She believed that her detractors would not stop shaming her body anyway, potentially being called a slut, a "fat cow", and a hypocrite who was selling her body, if she were to do so.[7][8] In response, Eilish, who had been using her platform to spread body positivity and counter the culture of body shaming, wrote and produced the short film Not My Responsibility. It addresses misogynistic double standards placed upon young women's appearances, with focus towards public discussion around Eilish's body.[9][10][11]

A spoken-word piece,[12] Not My Responsibility premiered during the Miami date of her Where Do We Go? World Tour on March 9, 2020, as a concert interlude.[13][14] The film was uploaded onto Eilish's YouTube channel on May 26, 2020.[15] Uproxx music editor Derrick Rossignol wrote that, at the time of its release, the film marked Eilish's "biggest statement" about body shaming in her career.[9]

Synopsis

Refer to caption
Billie Eilish in baggy clothing, 2020
Refer to caption
Eilish in traditionally feminine clothing, 2021

Not My Responsibility is set in a dimly lit room and begins with Eilish in a black jacket. As electronic music plays in the background, she gradually undresses until she is in nothing but a necklace and a black sleeveless shirt. She takes off the shirt and reveals a black bra underneath. Slowly, Eilish submerges herself in a pool of black water and resurfaces, fully covered in the substance.

The film features commentary from Eilish while she undresses. She comments on the public discussion around her physical appearance and acknowledges the varying opinions people hold of her, but she questions whether they "really know" her enough to make assumptions about her body. She criticizes the way in which they decide her worth based on the assumptions in question. Eilish addresses the double standards she faces for wearing anything she likes: "If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the layers, I'm a slut." She concludes with the lines, "Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?"

Critical reception

Not My Responsibility received praise from critics. Lars Brandle wrote for Billboard that Eilish got to demonstrate her "creative juices" with the film's visuals, and he commented positively on the background music.[16] Other music journalists, including Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone,[10] Ruth Kinane of Entertainment Weekly,[17] and Dorany Pineda of Los Angeles Times, found Not My Responsibility an effective, powerful takedown of sexist beauty standards.[18]

Riley Runnells, a Paper author, praised Eilish's showcasing of her vulnerability through the film's thesis,[19] whereas the zealous manner in which she depicted the sentiment was a point of praise for Carolyn Twersky of Seventeen.[20] Teen Vogue's Laura Pitcher shared her empathy for Eilish's longstanding experience with body shaming. With the film, she felt inspired by Eilish's continued dedication to speak out against the misogynistic policing of how women look.[21]

As a song

"Not My Responsibility"
Song by Billie Eilish
from the album Happier Than Ever
ReleasedJuly 30, 2021
Genre
Length3:47
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas
Lyric video
"Not My Responsibility" on YouTube

The short film's audio appears as the ninth track of Eilish's second studio album, Happier Than Ever.[22][23] It was released on July 30, 2021, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.[24] The album's lyrical themes discuss the struggles that young women face in the entertainment industry: emotional abuse, power imbalance, and misogyny.[25][26][27] In a Happier Than Ever commentary for Spotify, Eilish described the song's lyrics as "some of my favorite words that I've ever written", though she felt nobody paid attention to its message.[28]

An ambient, electropop track[29][30] that uses synthesizers,[27] "Not My Responsibility" was written in part by Eilish; her older brother, Finneas O'Connell, receives co-writing and production credits. Dave Kutch and Rob Kinelski worked on the mastering and mixing, respectively.[31] The song's instrumental was sampled to create the beat for the following album track, "Overheated",[32] into which the music at the end of "Not My Responsibility" transitions.[33]

Eilish performed "Not My Responsibility" as part of the Disney+ concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, released on September 3, 2021.[34] She also included it in the set list of a 2022–2023 world tour in support of Happier Than Ever.[35] Upon the album's release, "Not My Responsibility" charted in four countries[note 1] and peaked at number 125 of the Billboard Global 200.[36]

Critical reception

Some critics considered "Not My Responsibility" to be Happier Than Ever's centerpiece. According to them, the song exemplified the album's crucial motifs: the intense media gossip around Eilish as a young woman, as well as her reflection on its negative effects.[27][37][38] Analyzing Happier Than Ever for Slate, Carl Wilson wrote that amid all the speculation about her personal life, "the focus on her body has clearly hit Eilish hardest".[39] "Not My Responsibility", for Pitchfork's Quinn Moreland, sets the tone for the second half of the album, which deals with topics such as power dynamics, voyeurism, and sexuality.[40] Sophie Williams of NME argued that its approach to Eilish's media scrutiny made it one of the "most powerful and haunting songs" in her discography.[41]

In a review of Happier Than Ever for The A.V. Club, Alex McLevy observed that "Not My Responsibility" felt more like a TED talk than a song that contained any artistry.[42] Insider's Callie Ahgrim, while appreciating its commentary, felt that it could have been excluded from the album's tracklist. She believed that it lost its impact without the visuals from the short film[33]—a sentiment that Moreland and McLevy echoed.[40][42] Courteney Larocca, as a reply to Ahgrim, wrote: "slapping it haphazardly onto an official tracklist only evokes an eye-roll and a guarantee of pressing skip".[33] Other critics described its lyrics as pretentious or excessive in the context of the album.[32][43]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Happier Than Ever.[31]

Charts

Chart performance for "Not My Responsibility"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[44] 99
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[45] 98
Global 200 (Billboard)[36] 125
Portugal (AFP)[46] 107
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[47] 20
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[48] 27

Note

  1. ^ See the charts section for the exact peaks.

References

  1. ^ Brandle, Lars (March 29, 2019). "Billie Eilish's debut LP When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? has arrived: stream it now". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Segarra, Edward (April 3, 2022). "What's Finneas' last name? How many BTS members are there? Answers to your Grammys questions". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. ^ DeSantis, Rachel (June 28, 2022). "Billie Eilish says she felt 'trapped' in her public persona and changed it to 'f— with everyone'". People. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Tan, Emily (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish hits back at critics in Not My Responsibility short film". Spin. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Logan, Elizabeth (January 26, 2021). "Billie Eilish opens up about the body issues that led to her wearing baggy clothes". Glamour. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Shaffer, Claire (March 10, 2020). "Billie Eilish addresses body shaming in concert interlude". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Gilchrist, Ava (June 22, 2022). "Billie Eilish gets candid about her relationship with her body AKA her 'ugly friend'". Elle Australia. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Goldsztajn, Iris (May 29, 2023). "Billie Eilish hits back at 'women-hating weirdos' who criticize her for wearing feminine clothes". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Rossignol, Derrick (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish shares her revealing short film, Not My Responsibility". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Legaspi, Althea (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish slams body shaming in powerful Not My Responsibility short film". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Nesvig, Kara (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish released the full version of Not My Responsibility". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (May 26, 2020). "Watch Billie Eilish's Not My Responsibility short film from her canceled tour". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Evans, Gavin (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish shares official Not My Responsibility short film from Where Do We Go? Tour". Complex. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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  16. ^ Brandle, Lars (May 26, 2020). "Billie Eilish takes trolls to task with Not My Responsibility". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Kinane, Ruth (May 27, 2020). "Watch Billie Eilish go after body-shamers in Not My Responsibility short film". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  18. ^ Pineda, Dorany (May 27, 2020). "Billie Eilish's body is none of your concern in her powerful new short film". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Runnells, Riley (May 27, 2020). "Stop talking about Billie Eilish's body". Paper. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Twersky, Carolyn (May 28, 2020). "Billie Eilish's intense short film calls out sexism in the most epic way". Seventeen. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  21. ^ Pitcher, Laura (March 10, 2020). "Billie Eilish wants to remind you her body is none of your business". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  22. ^ Martoccio, Angie (April 27, 2021). "Billie Eilish announces new album Happier Than Ever". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  23. ^ Serrano, Athena (July 30, 2021). "Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever has a song for every mood". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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  25. ^ "Billie Eilish: critics praise 'defiant' second album, Happier Than Ever". BBC News. July 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  26. ^ Spanos, Brittany (June 17, 2021). "Billie Eilish and the pursuit of happiness". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  27. ^ a b c Hunt, El (July 29, 2021). "Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever review: an artist secures her status as a generational great". NME. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  28. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (July 30, 2021). "4 takeaways from Billie Eilish's new album Happier Than Ever". Time. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  29. ^ Murphy, John (July 31, 2021). "Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  30. ^ Hasted, Nick (August 6, 2021). "Album: Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  31. ^ a b Darkroom and Interscope Records (2021). Happier Than Ever (vinyl liner notes). Billie Eilish. B0033778-01.
  32. ^ a b Dailey, Hannah (July 30, 2021). "Every song ranked on Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever: critic's list". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  33. ^ a b c Ahlgrim, Callie; Larocca, Courteney (August 2, 2021). "Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever doesn't live up to the brilliance of its title track". Insider. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  34. ^ Mitchell, Molli (September 3, 2021). "Happier Than Ever setlist: all the songs Billie Eilish performs in the Disney+ special". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  35. ^ Spanos, Brittany (February 4, 2022). "Opening night of the first Billie Eilish tour in two years was everything fans hoped for (plus rain)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Billie Eilish Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  37. ^ Siroky, Mary (July 30, 2021). "Billie Eilish is Happier Than Ever: how the brutally honest, introspective album proves she's here to stay". Consequence. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  38. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (August 3, 2021). "On Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish brilliantly tackles the dark side of fame". Spin. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  39. ^ Wilson, Carl (July 30, 2021). "Billie Eilish's second album has strong words for her critics". Slate. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  40. ^ a b Moreland, Quinn (August 2, 2021). "Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever album review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  41. ^ Smith, Thomas; Moore, Sam; Williams, Sophie (June 21, 2022). "Every single Billie Eilish song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  42. ^ a b McLevy, Alex (August 4, 2021). "Happier Than Ever is mostly a great Billie Eilish album". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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  44. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 9 August 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1640. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 9, 2021. p. 4.
  45. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  46. ^ "Billie Eilish – Not My Responsibility". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  47. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  48. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
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