Billie Eilish has proved that nobody is too famous to be ghosted, with the singer revealing she was involved in an “insane” situation.
The American singer told the BBC podcast Miss Me? that a friend she had known for a long time did not turn up to an arranged date and never responded to her messages again.
"I've been ghosted for sure,” Eilish, who even has a song called I Didn’t Change My Number, told the podcast hosts Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver.
"It was somebody that I’d also known for years and had a plan, the day of, on the phone, making a plan, this is my address, be there at 3pm.
“I never heard from him again. Ever. I couldn’t believe it. It was insane.
"I was like, did you die? Did you literally die?”
Perhaps, with her recent album getting rave reviews, Eilish had the last laugh and the joke is on the anonymous man who didn’t reply.
Not being texted back is hard - especially if a contact cuts you off, but as Eilish has proved, it can happen to the best of us.
Last year, Ana de Armas revealed she too had been ghosted in the past as she promoted a film called… Ghosted. In the film, the Cuban actress plays a spy who is tracked down by a man played by Chris Evans who never heard back after their first date.
Given the one-star reviews for Ghosted, de Armas might be wishing she had ignored her agent’s texts about the role.
But, joking aside, what is ghosting and why do people do it?
What is ghosting?
Ghosting is when a person suddenly cuts off all contact and practically becomes an unreachable ‘ghost’, because they are no longer interested in getting to know you.
It could be a friendship or platonic relationship but the association often comes with connotations of dating in the era of texting.
Given a ghost’s nebulous, hazy, basically non-existent nature, the name fits perfectly.The act itself, some psychologists have suggested, can be quite damaging.
Talking about it, co-founder of the dating app So Syncd Jessica Alderson explains: “Whether ghosting is or isn’t acceptable all depends on the situation. Generally, if you’ve built a meaningful connection with someone and they’ve treated you with respect, then ghosting isn’t acceptable. It can cause hurt feelings and the lack of closure can leave people feeling confused.
“However, if you are dealing with someone who is showing toxic behaviour, such as being manipulative or abusive, then ghosting can be an effective way to protect yourself from further harm. In this case, it’s more about self-preservation than being rude.
“A lot of the time, in the early stages of dating, ghosting doesn’t come from a place of immaturity, selfishness, or any strong emotions—it’s simply indifference. If someone has a lot going on and if you haven’t had time to build a meaningful connection, it usually comes down to them prioritising other areas of their lives above you.”
While Alderson says ghosting isn’t done maliciously most of the time, it can cause a lot of pain and confusion. She added: “It’s crucial to only invest in relationships with people who value you as a person so, if you are ghosted, try to see it as an opportunity to find someone who recognises your worth.”
