Upon the initial creative process for the ‘What Was I Made For?’ music video, Billie Eilish had one visual in mind: herself rotated to the side with her hair twisted into the iconic Barbie high pony tale in front of a sage green backdrop. Perhaps there was a desk involved, too, though she had no idea what exactly would be scattered on there… but now that it’s released, we do. Various miniature versions of her past red carpet looks come out of a 1962 Solo in the Spotlight Barbie trunk.
It’s as if she’s quite literally absorbed herself into that world, but more than that, it’s a collision between her Happier Than Never era and WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? It has those diluted tones of yellow that we’re now used to, contrasting with the bagginess of the clothes she wore as protection; it shows that she’s somewhere within the shadows of all of that, just unsure where. Especially paired with such explorative lyrics as “Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal / Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real / Just somethin’ you paid for” in the second verse. Often, we as fans pigeonhole pop stars into their specific eras, using songs, outfits, and even moments for personality traits rather than taking in them as a whole.
Barbie Style Fashion Pack
The start of writing this song, the first day of writing, Finneas and I, especially me because it’s from my perspective, we were purely only thinking about Barbie… It was truly the trippiest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I was like, oh, I absolutely was writing about myself, but I was thinking about myself from a third person.
Billie Eilish for Zane Lowe on Apple Music
While it’s a brilliant piece of artwork showing what Billie’s outfits would look like in Barbie land, we wanted to play Switcheroo by pulling from the archives to see what could be traded for in this clothes swap. So we’ve picked three collectible Barbies that fit Billie’s aesthetic!
Haunted Beauty Ghost Barbie
From the moment we saw a spider crawling out of Billie’s mouth Creepshow-style in the ‘you should see me in a crown’ video, it was clear that she could rule the music scene with her eight-legged friends and general flair of spookiness, so it’s a no-brainer that this viral Barbie would show up on the list. Known for her crimped platinum hair and matching ethereal dress with a tattered hem, we’d even pull out tarot cards to see if Billie would ever appear in this 2012 creation.
Hard Rock Café 2008
Blue, black, and an ombre combination between the latter and a fluorescent green are some colors Billie’s hairstylist has shaken out of a dye bottle to shake up her hair, so why not pay homage to that in a Barbie look? A part of the Hard Rock Cafe Barbie doll era that targeted rock ‘n’ roll music lovers, this one came out in 2008.
She’s got the Billie aesthetic going on with a blonde and black do, but the flared-out punk dress with checkered styling pulled from the 80s steals the show. We’ll pair that with a yellow guitar with graffiti detailing and another throwback to the ‘you should see me in a crown’ music video with a spiderweb tattoo splattered on her left shoulder. Where’s the nearest stage for Billie to debut this look on?
Le Reine De La Nuit
It turns out that Barbie has traditions, too, such as gifting convention goers beautiful dolls, and seeing as this particular event in 2013 took place in New Orleans, it celebrated all of the creepiness that we love Billie for. While not created by Mattel but designed by Edge of 17, it’s still seen as a rare collectible in the Barbie fandom.
It’s Raphael Estrada’s love for all things music and his collection of celebrity dolls that birthed this creation, and we couldn’t be more ecstatic that he did! Just look at its detailing, the slitted, ruffled gown, and that skeleton-framed umbrella; Billie would look like the queen she is in this haunted getup!
Well, Barbie was my childhood… She’s everything, too. She’s everyone. There’s so many Barbies and there’s so many different versions and different… all my Barbies had their own personalities and opinions and thoughts, and styles and ideas of the world.
Billie Eilish for Zane Lowe on Apple Music
Double B fanatics (that’s Barbie and Billie), are there any other archival looks you’d die seeing our Happier Than Ever singer wearing? Whether that’s from 1959 when the doll originated or something more current. Tweet us @thehoneypop; maybe our combined enthusiasm is enough for Mattel to have something in the works.
Billie’s chat with Zane Lowe didn’t just cover the creative process for ‘What Was I Made For?,’ but how even she feels stagnant, going through an inspiration drought. Curl up under a blanket and spend around 30 minutes with the pair! Then flick through our Facebook and Instagram accounts for other articles covering interviews spearheaded by Apple Music.
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