The influence of harry styles
For the younger half of Millennials and the older half of Gen Z, Harry Styles is arguably one of the most influential male celebrities. Since his start with One Direction, he has stolen the hearts of so many fans across the globe. Those who grew up with One Direction are no strangers to “stan culture” and fan accounts.
Recently, there has been a surge of fan accounts that have popped up across college campuses. These accounts feature funny (and sometimes eerily realistic) edits of celebrities on their respective universities, as if they were a student attending classes there.
Harries of BGSU
At Bowling Green State University, the Harries of BGSU account has captured the hearts of students.
This account specifically features edits of Harry Styles partaking in BGSU activities as a falcon that is new to campus life! These edits show him at locations across campus, including at the student union, athletic games and more.
Of course I had to get to the mind behind the account and I reached out to the creator of Harries of BGSU through an Instagram DM to ask them some questions about their page. The identity of this individual will continue to remain anonymous because that is part of the allure of fan accounts. This page could be run by any of us, that’s what makes it resonate so strongly.
What made you want to start the account?
A: “I wanted to start this account after being inspired by other Ohio colleges (Ohio State, Kent State) and their Harry dedicated pages. I would continuously search for BG’s Harry page every day but there wasn’t one. Then I decided after many days with no Harry pages for BG to make it myself and figure out how to make realistic-looking edits to post.”
I decided after many days with no Harry pages for BG to make it myself and figure out how to make realistic-looking edits to post.
Harries of BGSU Creator
How many other campuses have a harry account?
A: “Although it is hard to track down every page running, I am aware of at least 43 pages for various colleges across the country! These accounts span from Ohio to Michigan, to New York, to Texas and more!”
Where did this trend start?
A: “I am not 100% sure where the trend started nationally. I know Ohio State was the first Ohio-based college to make their account with a post on October 11th.”
Are there any pages like this for other celebrities?
A: “Yes, there are many! At just BGSU there are also pages for Taylor Swift, @bgsutaylorsversion, Louis Tomlinson, @bgsulouies, and Kayne West, @kanyeofbgsu. I have also had recommended pages pop up for other school’s celebrities such as Ariana Grande, One Direction as a whole, Barbz (Nicki Minaj), Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers, Greta Van Fleet, Halsey, and more!”
Writer’s note: after this interview, it has come to my attention that there is now a Tom Holland account for BGSU, @bgsutom, if that is of interest to any of my readers.
Talons up, falcons!