Harry Styles has had yet another successful year so far. Not only has his latest single, “As It Was,” dominated the charts (and TikTok for that matter), but he also effectively won Coachella.
It hasn’t always been easy for the singer, who rose to stardom as a youngster thanks to One Direction’s appearance on The X Factor. Since the beginning, there has been constant speculation about his personal life, which had a real negative impact on his mental health and relationships.
Harry Styles pondered on life in the spotlight in a recent interview with Better Homes & Gardens, stating, “For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life.”
Harry continued, “I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with.”
He also acknowledged the difficulties of attempting to be likeable, saying, “In lockdown, I started processing a lot of stuff that happened when I was in the band,” adding that he was encouraged to give himself away to”get people to engage with you, to like you.”
He later added, “At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful, but I think I got to a place where I was like, why do I feel ashamed? I’m a 26-year-old man who’s single; it’s like, yes, I have sex.”
“I’ve been extremely upfront with it with my pals, but that’s my own experience; it’s mine,” he said of the pressure to label his sexuality. He continued, “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.”
His remarks come after some intense public speculation about his sexuality, with some accusing him of profiting from his proximity to queerness without confirming anything.
“I think we’re in a moment of reflection,” Styles added, speaking powerfully on celebrity culture at large.
“You look back, especially now there’s all the documentaries, like the Britney documentary, and you watch how people were abused in that way, by that system, especially women. You recall articles from not even five years ago, and you’re like, I can’t even believe that was written.”