Billie Eilish Is At A Crucial Turning Point Post-Breakup & Any Woman Who Has Dated A Guy Like Jesse Rutherford Can Relate
We've all been there and some might call it dysfunctional, but it's also part of growing up.
Tinseltown / Shutterstock, Mystikal Forest & Bonbonny via CanvaPro Billie Eilish and Jesse Rutherford have broken up after 7 months of dating, as reported by Page Six Magazine.
A rep for Eilish confirmed that “Billie and Jesse did split amicably and remain good friends.” Their relationship drew criticism from certain corners of the internet, those who believed that the 10-year age gap between Eilish, 21, and Rutherford, 31 was definitive proof that the "Ocean Eyes" singer was being taken advantage of.
Billie Eilish and Jesse Rutherford’s break-up is a marker that Eilish is well on her way in her journey toward adulthood.
Eilish and Rutherford’s relationship could be viewed as one with an inherent imbalance of power, due to the fact that Eilish is ten years younger than the lead singer of The Neighbourhood. Yet Eilish herself spoke of the age gap to Vanity Fair in 2022, stating, “Say what you need to say, but, like, I am in control right now. I did this.”
She continued to defend her choices by explaining, “I managed to get my life to a point where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f–g f–r alive, but pulled his a–! Are you kidding me? Can we just [get a] round of applause for me?”
It would be easy to interpret her statement as one that overlooks the possible problematic elements of a relationship between an older man and a younger woman, yet that would be discounting Eilish’s agency, and positioning her as someone who just doesn’t know better, which is demeaning in its own right.
Eilish’s older brother and collaborator Finneas O’Connell addressed the uproar over his sister’s relationship in the comments to a TikTok posted by a fan who called out Eilish for dating a 31-year-old.
“I want my sister to be happy and safe,” he stated. “She is a 21-year-old adult perfectly entitled to make her own decisions.”
Billie Eilish isn’t remotely alone in her experience of dating a problematic man—to do so is part of growing up.
While the drastic age difference between Eilish and Rutherford could be emblematic of a larger, more complex issue, it also could be interpreted as a move many young women make when they first start dating– who in this world can honestly say they’ve never been attracted to the wrong person? Most women who date men have had at least one experience they look back on as not their best decision.
Get a group of women together and ask who they liked in their 20s, and the answers will probably include a list of men who just weren’t right for them.
Dating the wrong people is a crucial part of growing up and figuring out what actually works for you. It’s an essential feature of understanding how we love and want to be loved, and how we build relationships that nurture us. It’s entirely possible to look at Eilish’s relationship with Rutherford as a phase she was bound to go through, a well-worn chapter of life that the young megastar can grow from.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.