Have you ever wanted Harry Styles to spit in your face?
First of all, that’s weird, but same. Secondly, well, I’m sorry to tell you that today is not your day. Perhaps if you had gone to Harry’s previous tour, or even his first performance for Love on Tour this year in Las Vegas, you might’ve been lucky enough to have been graced by a droplet of Harry Styles’s saliva on your forehead.
For the non-fans, allow me to elaborate. On his previous tour, Harry would drink from a water bottle and then spit it upwards and into the front rows. Then, he would splash the remaining water onto unsuspecting (this is sarcasm, most are very aware and excited) fans. As he would do this at every single one of his performances, it quickly became popular amongst fans who named it “The Whale,” hence the title of this article.
Love on Tour was supposed to start in 2020. Nevertheless, because of COVID-19, it was wildly delayed and the first performance just took place on September 4th of this year. Of course, public health measures were put in place. According to Billboard, Harry Styles Is Requiring Fans to Get COVID Vaccine or Negative Test to Attend His Shows. Additionally, everyone inside the venue is required to wear masks. For both these reasons, one can be led to believe that Harry’s Love on Tour would be as COVID-safe as possible. However, he’s been criticized online for doing his signature whale spit, as people believe that perhaps transmitting your saliva to your fans in the middle of a pandemic isn’t the best idea. Here’s an article from the Independent that addresses the issue in more depth: Harry Styles criticized for spitting on stage during US tour: ‘We’re still in a pandemic’ There seems to be a consensus online that Harry’s whale spit is not appropriate, which is why he stopped this antic from his second show onwards. Instead, he is now opting to just splash fans with unopened bottles of water.
I was intrigued about Barnard students’ opinion on the matter. Why Barnard you may ask? Totally not because that’s the school I go to… not at all! I’m curious to see what Harry Styles fans in the college think about “The Whale” during COVID times, seeing as we go to an institution that is taking many protective measures to prevent the spread of virus such as weekly testing and promoting the usage of masks.
So, I sat down with Grace Welte (she/her/hers), Elaine Ryan (she/her/hers) and Angelic Molos (she/her/hers) to discuss their relationship with Harry styles, “The Whale”, and COVID-19.
Define your affinity for Harry Styles. Are you a hardcore stan or more of a casual fan?
Grace: I am a hardcore fan to the point where it might be a little overboard.
Elaine: I would say I’m a fan, but I think the “stan” side of Twitter and Instagram is harmful and not super respectful of him (I.e. sexualizing him when he says he doesn’t want to be) so I wouldn’t refer to myself as a “Stan.” However, I have been in love with one Mr. Harry Edward Styles since I was 7 years old (the past 10 years) so I would definitely consider myself to be more than a casual fan.
Angelic: I’ve been a fan of Harry since 2011. I have pictures to prove it too, you don’t wanna see those pictures though I promise you. I had his posters all over my room along with a 1000+ piece 1D puzzles my mom and I assembled and glued together. I still love him, I have a cardboard cutout of him and a pillow in my room along with so many more pieces of merchandise. I’d consider myself a stan for sure.
What did you think of “The Whale” before COVID? Is that something you would have liked to experience?
Grace: I thought it was iconic, I looked forward to it. I did not go to Harry Styles Live on Tour but I’ve seen so many videos of “The Whale.” I would have loved to experience it.
Elaine: I would love to have been front row at a Harry Styles concert and have him perform “The Whale”. I myself have tried to do the same whale maneuver many times — it simply does not work for me. Harry Styles has many talents —“The Whale” included — so it would be a great treat to have water sprayed across my face via the Harry Styles Whale ™️.
Angelic: Yup. I wanted to feel it so bad. When I saw him on his first tour I was quite far from him so I couldn’t get splashed unfortunately.
What about “The Whale” in coronavirus times? Do you think the backlash is justified or are people exaggerating?
Grace: I think that the backlash was probably justified. I know there’s definity people being like “I’d let Harry Styles spit in my mouth” but it’s probably not the safest thing to do. Having a big crowd is already a big risk. As iconic as “The Whale” is, keeping others safe is worth losing it.
Elaine: With COVID-19 and all the new variants, I think it’s very important that we recognize that certain aspects of concerts must change, including “Harry’s Whale”. Though I am sad to see it go, spitting on people is probably not the best way to prevent them from getting sick, even in a pre-COVID world.
Angelic: I see why people are concerned but he listened to feedback quite quickly and started throwing the water straight from the bottle as an alternative. He also is vaccinated — as is basically everyone in the crowd — and gets tested every single day, so I don’t think I’d be worried too much. I would prefer it to come from his water bottle now though. it’s just a bit safer in these times.
From these responses, it is evident there is a consensus both online and offline about Harry’s actions. Personally, I’d have to agree with everyone who was interviewed. Harry, I love you but that was not the smartest decision. Anyhow, I hope everyone who will see Mr. Styles live in concert has an excellent time! I know I will. HarryWeen, here I come!