Billie Eilish opted to attend the MTV VMAs physically in New York City, and she brought out a very fall-ready look for the occasion. The singer wore a long-sleeved black dress.

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Eilish is nominated for Best Pop Song (“Therefore I Am”), Best Latin Song (“Lo Vas A Olvidar” with Rosalía), Video for Good (“Your Power”), Best Direction (for her music video “Your Power,” which Eilish directed), and Best Cinematography (“Therefore I Am”). It marks one of her first big public appearances—and red carpet moments—in her new Happier Than Ever music era and comes one day before Eilish co-chairs the Met Gala.

Eilish spoke to British Vogue earlier this year about defining her style as a young woman coming of age in the spotlight—and how she feels about some people celebrating her baggier clothes so she wouldn’t be sexualized against her peers in more revealing ensembles. “Because of the way that I feel that the world sees me, I haven’t felt really desired,” she said with a sigh. “But that’s really my whole life, though, so I don’t know if it’s anything to do with fame.”

She added that seeing the TV trope where a “classic hot girl” becomes “this completely different character of wifey” once she enters a relationship “really f*cked me up. Everybody’s like, ‘You can’t make a wife out of a hoe’–and it’s like, you’re attracted to that person, though. You created that person. Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore. If I am, then I’m proud. Me and all the girls are hoes, and f*ck it, y’know? Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin—or not—should not take any respect away from you. I really think the bottom line is, men are very weak. I think it’s just so easy for them to lose it. ‘You expect a dude not to grab you if you’re wearing that dress?’ Seriously, you’re that weak? Come on!”

Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton).

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