Harry Styles opens up about sexuality and intimacy in new interview ahead of album release.
Styles, whose third solo album Harry’s House is out next month, can be seen gracing the cover of Better Homes & Gardens, where he also opens up about a number of things in life including his much-speculated sexual orientation.
For some reason, Harry’s sexuality has always been a hot topic of conversation.
Whether it’s his (excellent) dress sense being discussed, allegations of queerbaiting, taking gay roles in movies, waving Pride Flags at gigs, his song lyrics, or just him generally enjoying rocking a “queer aesthetic” – everyone seems to have an opinion on his sexuality, which usually goes something along the lines of: ‘it doesn’t matter either way, but be honest’.
This is, perhaps, only further fuelled by being the one topic Harry consistently declines offering any clarity on at all.
Since One Direction catapulted into superstardom, Styles has been linked with numerous high-profile women and is currently dating actress Olivia Wilde, with the two having been an item for just under two years.
During the new interview, Styles reveals having residual anxiety from his One Direction days, over saying the wrong thing in interviews.
This can be somewhat explained by the fact the 1d boys’ contract came with an insane “cleanliness clause”, meaning it would be void if it was breached.
When Styles signed his solo contract, it didn’t include such stipulations, causing Styles to burst into tears, saying: “I felt free.”
“At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful,” Styles added. “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.”
“You look back, especially now there’s all the documentaries, like the Britney [Spears] documentary, and you watch how people were abused in that way, by that system, especially women,” Styles said. “You recall articles from not even five years ago, and you’re like, I can’t even believe that was written.”
The former One Direction singer, reveals how he started to work through some of his dating issues at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic:
“For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life. I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with,” he told the magazine.
“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.”
Back in 2019, speaking to The Guardian, Styles insisted he was “not just sprinkling in sexual ambiguity to be interesting’, saying sexuality is something “fun” and, “at the end of the day, who cares?”
The public response at the time seemed to be that – rightly or wrongly – a lot of people cared.
Now, in this new feature, Harry elaborated a bit more on his views of sexuality, calling the expectation to label himself “outdated”, adding: “I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine.”
“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.”
Elsewhere, a teaser trailer from Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut psychological thriller ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, starring Styles, reportedly got viewers pretty hot under the collar at Tuesday’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
Styles recently released single As It Was, bagging his longest-running solo number one single in UK in the process. The album Harry’s House will drop on May 20.