Harry Styles. Do I even need to elaborate? You love him, I love him, we all love him. Growing up we (at least those of us with taste) religiously sang One Direction songs like the 5 members of the British boy band were the second coming of Christ, dancing in our rooms to “Nobody Compares” and dramatically staring out rainy car windows to “Walking in the Wind.” While Niall, Harry, Louis, Zayn and Liam have long since separated and made their way onto solo careers, teen girls’ adoration for them never faded. Specifically, Harry’s fanbase has multiplied radically. His recognition in the music, movie, and fashion industry has swelled past the point of him being referred to as simply an ‘ex-boyband member.’ He’s reached the level of celebrity that comes with having a battalion of millions of people -- across all ages, continents and backgrounds -- willing to drop everything and go to war for him with a simple tweet asking them nicely to do so. I know I would probably throw on my best Armageddon outfit and head out the door for him too. But how did he get this far? Why him over the other 4 boys he shared stages, hotel rooms, and his teen years with? What is so special about Harry Styles?
The answer is Harry’s style. (P.S. he’s hot). Harry is known for blending both traditionally masculine and feminine fashion together to create his own unique expression. He hasn’t always had a sophisticated and gender-bending wardrobe, though. Harry started where most British boys do: in a tracksuit, puffer jacket, and Adidas sneakers. While I could sit here and write a 30 page essay detailing the timeline of his style’s growth from Liverpool chic to Paris Fashion Week, we’re going to time travel straight from the birth of One Direction to now.
No modern Harry Styles outfit would be complete without a string of pearls, rings, and an article of clothing made by Gucci and Marc Jacobs. From red carpets to the sidewalks of L.A. to the cover of his newest album Fineline, Harry’s sense of style is undeniably authentic. Where most men shy away from bright colors, feminine fabrics, and softer silhouettes, Styles jumps at the occasion to wear outfits historically condemned as ‘womanish.’ And he looks better doing it than every other man in a boring black and white tuxedo at whatever award show he’s attending. However, gender-fluid fashion is nothing new, and it would be irresponsible to paint Harry as a revolutionary who is forever altering the state of the fashion industry one multi-colored suit at a time. Dressing outside the gender binary is scary, though. There will always be criticism. Criticism from Christian blogger moms worried that seeing men in skirts is going to turn her son gay. Criticism from men insecure in their masculinity projecting their own feelings of inadequacy onto strangers on the internet. Criticism from pick-me girls who haven’t yet realized how the internalized male gaze is rotting their brain. And criticism from little boys online who spout hate speech at anyone not following the ‘rules’ of gender. Which is a social construct, by the way. It’s not real.
Harry Styles can be applauded for his dressing sense. We should be celebrating the ability to dress however we want, the ability to express ourselves without the limitations of gendered clothes. Beside the fact that he embraces femininity in his outfit choices, Harry Styles’ style is good. Like, really good. I mean it would have to be. He was the winner of the 2013 British Style Award, after all. Let’s put some respect on his name. His style is not good, though, because he dresses feminine. His style is good because he (and his personal stylist, Harry Lambert) simply know how to put an outfit together.
While the barriers between ‘men’s clothes’ and ‘women’s clothes’ are crumbling, who’s really allowed to enjoy this new freedom to be creative? To what extent is it acceptable to break gender roles before it becomes ‘too much’? According to Harry, (1) anyone and (2) infinite. However, Harry doesn’t run the fashion industry, nor is he a guardian angel who can fly down and protect victims who dress outside the gender-binary from hate-fueled speech and crimes. In fact, he benefits from femininity becoming a trend for men to hop on, to prove that they’re rid of toxic masculinity and misogyny. To prove that they’re ‘in touch with their feminine side’ and that they’re ‘not like other men.’ While on TikTok, with the popularity of Femboy Friday and boys in maid outfits making it seem like the world is ready for the eradication of gendered clothes, reality is far from it. Men wearing pink on the red carpet is not going to end misogyny. Men hating women is a fixture of life, for now. It is very much here to stay.
Dressing feminine has become a repackaged patriarchal power grab. Though we like to assume all men are stupid (and they are), I suppose we have to give them a little bit of credit this time. They watched as women idolized men like Harry Styles, they observed the way his clothes captivated millions of girls, and thought “I should do that too.” However, they do not have the same intentions. While Harry clothes himself with self-expression and color theory in mind, other men dress themselves with “How can I control women today?” in mind. Whether these men are using women’s clothes to gain clout, popularity, or to manipulate teenage girls -- who’s to say? A man embracing femininity does not immediately deserve your trust. Power is given to a man who dresses feminine, but taken away from a woman dressing feminine. Why is it that when a masculine person adopts femininity, he is brave and innovative and honorable? Why is being feminine only viewed as strong when a man is doing it? Why is dressing like a woman a negative thing that only a steadfast and powerful man can muster up the strength to do? Men are going to have to work a little bit harder than just stealing their sister’s clothes to prove that they value women as people, and not just as objects to control. Just because a man dresses feminine, doesn’t mean he’s going to respect you.
This is not to discredit or discourage masculine people from exploring all facets of fashion. However, this is a callout post to the people who take advantage of the trust women place in men who dress fluidly. While on the surface, men accepting femininity is a beautiful thing, the undercurrents can have more sinister intentions. Before we start putting men on pedestals for simply admitting that femininity isn’t a bad thing, let’s take several steps back. As a man, dressing feminine can be intimidating. The internet backlash and in-person harassment is a risk of the outfit choice, and I am not minimizing the strength it takes to do that. However, it becomes a problem when men weaponize femininity to control women. Stop awarding men for doing the bare minimum. Don’t confuse embracing femininity with respecting it. Harry Styles would be disappointed in you for doing that, and why would you ever want to disappoint Harry Styles?
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