Since Harry Styles ventured to go outside the bounds of cuffed Dickies and crewnecks, or whatever “manly guys” are meant to wear, much has been said about the ideals and perils of masculinity.
First, he walked the pink stairs of the 2019 Met Gala wearing a revealing, high-neck Gucci top and an enticing pearl earring. Then he revealed his fondness for the more flamboyant aspects of fashion, such as boldly patterned jackets and flared bell bottoms. And, lest we forget, he was on the cover of Vogue, where he talked about his lifelong fascination with “fancy clothing” while wearing, well, fancy gowns.
Styles is far from the first person to reimagine what it means to be a man, but the reaction from the old vanguard of tradition (a handy euphemism for suppressed sexuality and homophobia) was swift and harsh. Candace Owens, a right-wing commentator, tweeted, “There is no civilization that can thrive without strong males.” “The East is well aware of this. It is not a coincidence that our guys are gradually becoming more feminine at the same time as Marxism is being taught to our youngsters in the West. It’s a direct assault.”
Styles, for one, has kept largely mute on the debate surrounding his right to wear whatever he wants. But today, after sharing a photo from his new Variety cover on Instagram, in which he chomps on a banana while dressed in a dusty blue suit with white flared sleeves, the singer has finally stated his viewpoint.
“To not wear [something] because it’s girls’ apparel, you close off a whole universe of fantastic stuff,” he said in the Variety interview, referring to the inappropriate criticism. And what I think is amazing right now is that you can wear whatever you want. It isn’t required to be X or Y. Those distinctions are getting increasingly hazy.”
Source: harpersbazaar