While one of the most lovable artists of this decade, Harry Styles has gotten into considerable controversy through his high-profile relationships and magazine cover shoots.
Harry Styles became a household name after participating in UK’s The X Factor and teaming up with four other boys to form the band One Direction in 2010. The band catapulted into stardom, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands in the UK. Making and breaking several records, the band eventually went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Since starting his solo career in 2017, Styles has only grown in popularity through his head-bopping music and the release of three studio albums.
Harry Styles has been in the public eye throughout his career, known for his high-profile romances, larger-than-life stadium tours, and sometimes controversial comments. With the passing years, Styles has managed to keep his private life away from the flashing cameras, but various controversies have still created speculations and talk on social media. A talented musician and actor, let’s take a look at some of the most significant controversies of Harry Styles.
8 Controversial Vogue Cover
In December 2020, Harry Styles took the internet by storm when he was featured on the cover of Vogue US. The artist wore various female garments, from skirts to dresses, finding comfort in feminine clothing. This ensued complaints from people on Twitter, claiming that masculinity was over and to bring back manly man. Actor Billy Porter criticized the cover as he claimed he felt disconnected from opportunities for being a black, gay person.
7 Ignored BLM Signs At His First Concert Tour
Harry Styles has always created a safe space for his fans during his concerts as they bring in various signs supporting various causes. Often seen waving the Pride flag, people were upset in 2017 when he didn’t wave the Black Lives Matter flag at a show in London. Some attendees even threw the flags and posters on stage for him to wave them, but Styles carried on with his Pride flag. After fans repeatedly called him out on it through social media, he acknowledged the representation at his concerts.
6 Fans' Criticism Of His Relationship With Olivia Wilde
2022 has been a big year for Harry Styles as he has been on tour with two movies releasing soon: Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman. During his interview with Rolling Stone, he extensively discussed his relationship with Olivia Wilde, which began after they met on the Don’t Worry Darling set. There has been a lot of toxic negativity regarding his relationship with Wilde and their 10-year age gap. Fans have made jokes and trolled Wilde; however, the actress has been a good sport regarding the criticism.
5 His Comment About Gay Sex While Promoting The Policeman
My Policeman is Harry Styles’ upcoming film that showcases a gay relationship during a time when homosexuality was illegal. During one of his interviews, while promoting the film, Styles commented on how sexual scenes between people of the same sex have been avoided in movies or shown roughly. People quickly commented that various movies show tenderness and loving scenes between two partners, as seen in My Policeman.
4 Harry’s House Merchandise Symbol
Since the release of his third studio album Harry’s House, in May 2022, fans have been eagerly waiting for Harry Styles to drop the merchandise. In August, the new merchandise was announced, but it came with some backlash. Fans claim that the two capital Hs have anti-Semitic roots, and the sign has been banned in various European countries. Along with the shirts and hoodies, the website has also put baseball caps on sale with Harry’s House stitched on them.,
3 Fans Speculation About His Relationship With Louis Tomlinson
While it has never been clear when or how the rumors began, fans have speculated about a romance brewing between Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson since their One Direction days. Calling them Larry, there has been a constant conversation about their relationship. In 2012, Louis Tomlinson was the first to deny the relationship; in 2015, Zayn Malik admitted that the rumors put a strain on Styles’ and Tomlinson’s relationship. After Styles released the song Sweet Creature, fans speculated whether it was about his former bandmate.
2 Pay Disparity On Don’t Worry Darling
On his journey to becoming one of the biggest music artists of recent years, Harry Styles has also ventured into acting with his debut in the 2017 war epic Dunkirk. His third movie, Don’t Worry Darling, has been highly publicized for various reasons, including a reported pay disparity between the leads Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. It was stated that Pugh was paid $700,000 while Styles made $2.5 million. Director Olivia Wilde shut down the rumors and called the reports inaccurate.
1 Song Plagiarism Accusations
Plagiarism Accusations have arisen against some of the most famous artists in the world. With Harry’s debut album Harry Styles, the musician was accused of using an identical guitar riff as in the 1968 Beatles’ song Blackbird. In 2022, fans claimed Styles’ single As It Was has the same tune as El Profe, a song by Argentinian band Miranda!
Harry Styles has also not commented on his relationship with Taylor Swift, which ended on bad terms in 2013, but the couple has since reconciled and remains on friendly terms. Despite the crazy rumors and controversies around the internet, Harry Styles prefers to stay away from attention and decides to speak up when it truly matters.
Sources: Vogue, Teen Vogue, Elle, Huffington Post
