Thanks to Billie Eilish, Nylon Germany now knows that it’s wrong to fake a picture of a topless 17-year-old for its cover. Eilish called out the publication on Instagram, when she saw that it had created a digital image of her as a bald cyborg that was heavily implied to be nude. “[B]ooooooooooo to you,†she wrote. Eilish objected to the cover for four reasons: “1. i was never approached by nylon about this piece whatsoever. i did not know it was happening nor did anyone on my team. 2. this is not even a real picture of me. i had absolutely no creative input. 3. youre gonna make a picture of me shirtless?? thats not real?? at 17? and make it the cover???? even if the picture was supposed to look like some robot version of me … i did not consent in any way. 4. ANNNDDD YOU’RE GONNA REMOVE ALL MY F—IN HAIR?†You can’t see if the Eilish bot is topless or merely wearing a strapless cyborg prom dress, but taking Billie’s hair is super–messed up. My personal image of Billie Eilish is of her hiding behind her hair like Erin on The Office. How dare you take that tool out of her arsenal?
Nylon Germany updated its Instagram post with this message after Eilish’s comment: “For this cover, it was never our intention to create a look that is confusing or insulting to Billie Eilish. It was only ever our intention to honor Billies impact and her work by creating this avatar which is part of a cover series highlighting the power of digital prodigy artists. This avatar is a piece of 3D artwork created in dedication to her achievements and the positive effect she has had on millions around the globe — including us.â€