Erin
I have to admit, at first I wasn’t a fan of Harry Styles, especially when he was in One Direction. However, I don’t know if it was the constant discussions in HerCampus meetings about Harry, or his song “Kiwi,” or both, but now I’m slightly obsessed. While home for the semester, I would constantly listen to “Sign of the Times” on repeat to help me fall asleep, just imagining a better place during a crappy time. Then over the summer I added a lot of his songs to my summer playlist because I know it would put me in a good mood. Now that I am back on campus and I have a roommate that is in the same boat as me, I am slightly more obsessed. So when Halloween came this year, the two of us knew we had to dress up as Harry, which was a lot of fun. Despite that, the two of us have watched the “Golden” music video so many times that I think we lost count. We turn it on when we are stressed, upset, bored, you get the idea. I honestly just believe that he is a genuinely nice person who also happens to be really sexy as well!
Shannon
I was not a One Direction fan growing up. I had a Bieber phase when I was 11-13 but I eventually out-grew it and all “teeny-bopper” music by the time I hit 14. I used to actually listen to the parody songs people would make of them on Youtube because I really just hated them and was going through a #notliketheothergirls phase. I know I’ll be savaged for this but I was literally laughing watching everyone online freakout when One Direction broke up. I was just sick of them and really sick of any of the music that Justin Bieber and One Direction-types marketed towards teen girls cause I didn’t feel like it was really healthy for our culture. Anyway, when Harry Styles started doing solo stuff in 2017, I was really hesitant. The funny thing is that I had listened to Zayn’s solo stuff and thought it was like…ok… so that made me a little more open to Harry to see that these men could have solo careers that weren’t just rehashes of their boy band stuff. I originally saw Harry perform “Sign of the Times” either on SNL or online somewhere and I just really fell in love. It was really modern, beautiful, and he clearly had talent. I was never attracted to him, and I’m not really still but I do think he’s handsome. It’s really always been about this music that he makes that I can connect to deeply. He really is a poet. I think both of his solo albums have been beautiful and now I really celebrate his success. I think without One Direction perhaps we would have never gotten Harry so I can see the pain is all worth it haha.
Kailey
I was a One Direction gal from Day 1. I actually still listen to their music pretty regularly – like completely non-ironically. Listen, their music is nostalgic but it’s also fun! It makes me feel happy and ALIVE. I have also had a lifelong thing for long haired boys, so obviously Harry was my guy from the jump. I’ll admit there were times where I would slip into Zayn phases, but Harry was always there, making me fall deeper in love every day. I swear to god, the man can do no wrong! He is not only a phenomenal, absolutely iconic artist, but also just an incredibly wholesome and sweet human being. He has the style, he has the attitude, the sense of humor, the morals, the talent, the skill, the passion. He has it all, just accept it. It’s clear to me that Harry’s purpose is to spread kindness and love. He just happens to create bangers on the side. I think Harry is one of the greatest role models of our generation and he is such a humble inspiration to so many. I think he is a perfect example of fame done right! Please, I am begging you, go listen to Harry’s 2 albums! They are somehow my go-to shower jams, rainy day moods, and study date playlists all in one. So versatile, so purely good, so one-of-a-kind. I am not just being a stan here, I truly think everyone can enjoy, or at least appreciate, Harry’s music and so many people I would never expect to be fans have raved about Harry to me. I’m just thankful I get to be alive at the same time as him.
Jordyn
Okay, listen. I’ve been a part of the One Direction fandom for what feels like an eternity now. When “What Makes you Beautiful” was released in 2011, I was completely hooked. Even though this was during my “emo” phase of music and style, I fell in love with this boyband. Specifically, Harry Styles. My friends and I always picked our favorite and I never strayed from Harry. When he was being labeled as a “womanizer” by the media during the early years I knew that was incorrect. He always made me laugh and smile no matter what he was doing. When the band broke up, I was heartbroken. I can tell you exactly where I was when they announced Zayn was leaving, and after that, it wasn’t the same (even though Made in the AM is by far my favorite album by them). I was able to see the band perform on their last tour without Zayn, and even without him there, it was the best experience. They were even better live than they sounded in the recordings. I sobbed the entire time, but we don’t need to talk about that. Being a fan for over ten years now, it always feels weird to me to think that Harry Styles exists. I have these really strange feelings towards him that are hard to explain. Like he’s just my best friend who I can talk to about anything, even though I’ve never spoken to him before. He just seems like the sweetest goofiest guy who truly cares deeply about everyone who supports him. His music means so much to me and I love everything that he’s doing in the music industry. When his first album came out, I didn’t think it could get any better, then he released Fine Line, and I learned how incredible he really is at song writing. Every song he writes, even the goofy ones are just so great. He’s supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, supports black lives matter, and just genuinely seems like an incredible person to be friends with. For years now it just feels like he’s my friend when I think about him. Like it doesn’t feel like I’m just a fan. It’s really hard to explain. I just love everything about him and what he stands for. He stands against toxic masculinity and he’s not afraid to just be himself and do what he loves. It’s honorable to see someone so popular in the public eye unapologetically be themselves. He means the world to me and I hope no harm ever comes to this brilliant man. I can’t wait for the world to return to normalcy again so I can see him live at Madison Square Garden!
Nirdishtha
Listening to One Direction made me realize one thing, that Harry Styles had completely stolen my heart and I wish I had gotten to see them in concert before they disbanded. I first had a crush on Harry for completely superficial reasons like his hair, his eyes, his dimple and his four nipples. But the more I got involved into the One Direction fandom and watched the videos, it became clear to me that he was someone who respected women and believed that they were his equals. That was quite a shock to me because a lot of my male peers were nowhere close to that sentiment, and slowly after that I started admiring his personality as well. When One Direction disbanded, I cried because I thought that meant that there would be no more music from any of the boys at all but when I found out that Harry was coming out with an album, I waited eagerly for it. Listening to the album made me appreciate Harry’s voice and his lyrics a lot more. Seeing him break away from the “teen pop-star” image and music and explore his own style; both in terms of fashion and music, was very interesting to me. To see someone I’d seen as inherently masculine, break away from that and wear clothes however he wanted, break stereotypes about gender roles and sing songs based on his musical inspirations was amazing. It made me feel more comfortable with wanting to explore more “masculine” fashion and keep doing whatever I wanted as long as it makes me happy. I feel like everytime I see something that’s Harry Styles related, it’s almost like he’s being talked about like art. That man is an absolute blessing and he needs to keep existing so he can make people like me happy, but more importantly, himself happy too.