Hailee Steinfeld’s waist is so tiny in one of her recent Instagram photos that fans are seriously concerned about the state of her internal organs.
On Wednesday, the 22-year-old actress took to Instagram to reveal that she would soon be dropping a new single titled “Afterlife.” She also shared the song’s cover art, which was a photo of Hailee sporting the undergarments of a 19th century woman. In the image, she’s wearing a cage crinoline made of steel hoops. Her stockings and garter belt are visible underneath the underskirt, as are the modern, thigh-high lace-up boots with open toes that she’s wearing in lieu of old-fashioned footwear.
However, the part of Hailee Steinfeld’s ensemble that drew her Instagram followers’ attention was her waist-cinching white corset. It’s laced extremely tight, making the circumference of her wasp-like waist look only slightly larger than that of her calves. It’s possible that the photo was digitally altered to make the Pitch Perfect star’s stomach look so small, but it completely freaked out some of her fans. In response to the image, a few of her followers expressed anxiety over the effect of the corset on her innards.
“Omg it looks like your organs are being crushed around your waist,” wrote one fan.
“How are your internal organs???” another asked.
“This creeps me out,” read another comment about Hailee Steinfeld’s cover art.
The image that’s barely visible in the artwork’s dark background is a drawing by celebrated poet Emily Dickinson, whom Hailee is playing in the upcoming Apple TV Plus series Dickinson . According to Rolling Stone , the singer/actress recorded the song “Afterlife” for the series, and it’s inspired by Emily Dickinson. The “Because I could not stop for Death” writer also influenced Hailee’s decision to use the corset photo for the song’s cover art.
“She [Dickson] lived during a time where women were forbidden from voicing their opinions and restricted in many ways, including how they dressed,” Hailee said. “I wanted the single art to reflect this idea too so the corset has an exaggerated cinch to represent how Emily in particular felt constricted and stifled.”
The look is certainly a far cry from the sheer red dress that Hailee wowed her fans with at the MTV Video Music Awards last month.
Dickinson won’t premiere until November 1, but fans of Hailee Steinfeld’s music can listen to “Afterlife” right now. The song depicts a gothic romance, with the singer asking her lover if he’ll still care about her when her “heartbeat stops.” She also begs him to search for her in the afterlife, and there’s one line that seems to suggest that she may already be dead.
“Now that I’m gone you’re gonna miss me,” she warns the object of her obsession.
You can listen to “Afterlife” below.