From public displays of affection to questionable Halloween outfits, Billie Eilish and Jesse Rutherford’s relationship has been nothing short of a spectacle. Eilish publicly announced The Neighbourhood frontman as her new boyfriend on Instagram this Halloween.
20-year-old Eilish made the relationship Instagram official on Halloween, sharing the pairs costume of an old man and a baby, following widespread criticism over their 11-year age gap. People were divided over their choice of outfits. Some thought they were simply making fun of the situation while others felt they should have known better. I believe that they should have dressed up as something more light-hearted. Considering their platform, to make a joke out of a significant age gap in that way is extremely problematic. The pair has made a mockery of the harms of such age gap relationships. By downplaying its effects on young and impressionable minds, Eilish and Rutherford have normalised imbalance of power in romantic relationships, possibly placing young viewers in harms way.
The pair had confirmed their relationship after being spotted kissing while sharing a meal in Los Angeles earlier in October. Fans have been left bewildered since speculations of Eilish and Rutherford’s relationship first arose after the pair were spotted holding hands at Universal Studios Hollywood.
The Sweater Weather singer ended a long-term relationship with model and Wildflower Cases co-founder, Devon Lee Carlson in 2021. The pair dated for six years, and their breakup left fans heartbroken. Carlson is now rumoured to be dating Hollywood nepotism baby, Duke Nicholson.
Eilish’s 2021 Apple TV documentary, The World’s A Little Blurry, left fans shocked after learning she had a secret relationship with Brandon Quention Adams, whom she calls Q. Q is a rapper who goes by 7: AMP who Eilish dated for a year when she was 17 and he was 22. Her fans were dismayed over the secrecy of their relationship but particularly about the pair’s five-year age gap and the fact that she was underage. Despite Eilish’s denials, many speculate that a lyric from her song Your Power “you ruined her in a year” hinted at it being written about Q. The chorus’s lead lyric: “Try not to abuse your power”, refers to an abuse of power by an authority figure in relationships.