Does he love women? Does he like men? Or both? Every now and then Harry Styles is spotted with actress Taylor Russell (29), at a U2 concert or swimming in a public swimming lake in north London. However, no more details are known.
Image gallery: Harry Styles: The lovable pop star turns 30
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The fact that there is so much speculation regarding his relationship status is not least due to his choice of clothing, because the singer, who celebrates his 30th birthday on February 1st, has been turning fashion on its head for years. From silk blouses and floral shirts to glittering jumpsuits and pink embroidered vests, he wears everything in a colorful mix. He also likes to appear in women’s clothing and with a pearl necklace – playing with gender has long since become his trademark.
In 2020 he was the first man to grace the cover of US “Vogue” alone – in a floor-length ruffled dress with a black dinner jacket. The outfit later became an exhibit in a men’s fashion exhibition at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
First a boy band, now a style icon
Harry Styles became known in 2010 as a member of the youth band One Direction, and since 2017 he has also been extremely successful as a solo singer. With “Sign of the Times” he reached the top of the British charts in 2017, and in Austria he achieved this in 2022 with “As It Was”. Last year, 60,000 fans celebrated him at a concert in Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium – many of them “in style” with feather boas, cowboy hats or even angel wings.
Styles, who also works as an actor, grew up in a village near Manchester. His music career began when the Brit appeared on the talent show “The X Factor” at the age of 16. There he said that he also had a part-time job in a bakery. That ended following “The X Factor” and the success of the band One Direction, which was formed there. After the boy band ended, Styles began a solo career and became even more famous. His catchy pop songs, borrowing from the 70s rock sound of bands such as Fleetwood Mac, earned him critical acclaim.
Always nice, always cute
The musician is also at the forefront of the “cute” trend in current pop culture. Just think of the movie “Barbie” or cute selfie filters on social media.
Styles follows the trend and often opts for corresponding outfits: he wears a fluffy blue knitted sweater with an embroidered cartoon duck as well as one with sheep on it.
One of Styles’ songs is called “Treat People with Kindness” and he probably means it. At his concerts he really seems very “kind”, i.e. nice. He calls on people to hold hands and wish each other a good time.
In interviews he talks regarding his experiences in therapy. This fits with our times, when it has become more normal to talk regarding feelings and there is more sensitivity when it comes to sexist discrimination.
Of course, he is not the first pop star with an androgynous clothing style. But while stars like David Bowie were ahead of their time, Harry Styles captures the spirit of the times exactly.
Book tip: “Icons of Style: Harry Styles”. The story of a fashion icon, ZS-Verlag, 20.60 euros
Valerie Hader
