While Harry Styles may have style, he recently cleared up accusations about using his clothing as a way of “queerbaiting.”
The 28-year-old singer, who first grew a massive fanbase as a member of the boy band One Direction, has had an incredibly successful career as a solo artist over the past few years.
Aside from his Grammy-winning hits, Harry has also been notably recognized for his unique sense of fashion and for breaking the style norms as a “straight male” in the music industry — similarly to singer David Bowie.
However, some fans and critics have called him out for using a queer aesthetic as a way to profit without necessarily identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
In Harry’s recent feature in Rolling Stone, the Watermelon Sugar star was prompted about others’ perceptions of his personal fashion choices.
“If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something,” he stated.
Although Harry is typically private about his love life, he has been publicly dating actress Olivia Wilde over the past year. The two began their romance after Olivia broke off her seven-year relationship with actor Jason Sudeikis.
“It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something,” Harry said regarding the backlash Olivia has received from a few of his fans.
Harry Styles’ fans give their opinions on him ‘queerbaiting’
When it comes to his loyal fanbase, many have taken the opportunity to share their thoughts on whether or not they believe Harry’s unique style is genuine to his character.
“harry styles say that he hasn’t publicly been with someone, when publicly he has only been with famous and non-famous women, because he can’t answer the question about queerbaiting is totally disrespect towards those women,” one user tweeted.
On the opposite end, another user wrote, “I say this as a queer person, if you’re so worried about Harry Styles queerbaiting, get a god**n hobby.”
“Every time someone accuses someone else of queerbaiting for how they present themselves you are literally enforcing gender stereotypes,” Twitter user @JabriellaM wrote.
Another user tweeted his opinion on Harry and his sexuality — “people are saying harry is queerbaiting again, hes not, he doesn’t owe you anything and he definitely doesnt owe you his sexuality…its not my fault you cant read in between lines and realize that harry styles is anything but straight.”
Harry Styles says specifying his sexuality feels ‘outdated’
When it comes to publicly defining his sexuality, Harry revealed his thoughts to Better Homes & Gardens in a feature earlier this year.
“I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine,” the Adore You singer stated.
“The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”
Although he may not feel the need to label himself in the public eye, it seems as if Harry is continuing to embrace his own personal style in his daily life and on stage during his current tour, Love On Tour.