Harry Styles has already made clear that he's not about labels. Whether it's his androgynous style, his musical sound, or his refusal to box in his sexuality, Harry embraces all parts of himself.
And now, in an interview with L'Officiel, Harry has shared his thoughts about gender norms, saying he thinks the rigid roles society has long ascribed to people based on gender are falling away. The lessening of these roles, Harry said, is making all parts of life more interesting.
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“Many borders are falling – in fashion, but also in music, films and art,” he told the magazine. “I don’t think people are still looking for this gender differentiation. Even if the masculine and feminine exist, their limits are the subject of a game.”
Gender is a societal construct built on expectations about how men and women are supposed behave — rules that have long pigeonholed people in potentially harmful ways. The more society realises this, the more the idea of using gender as a game comes into play: it's something that can be bent and shifted, rather than a rigid, set rule. And, it's worth noting, that people have been breaking the so-called rules of gender forever.
“We no longer need to be this or that. I think now, people are just trying to be good,” Harry continued. “In fashion and other fields, these parameters are no longer as strict as before, and it gives rise to great freedom. It’s stimulating.”
Harry's view of gender norms is certainly an idealised one. While he may be free to express himself in whatever way he sees fit, others have long fought for the right to do so, and many have faced discrimination and violence along the way. Still, more and more people are free to be themselves regardless of gender norms, which shows progress and hope for the future.
This isn't the first time Harry has addressed the mutability of gender norms. In a 2018 interview with Timothée Chalamet, Harry said his idea of masculinity includes a dose of femininity, too.
“I think there’s so much masculinity in being vulnerable and allowing yourself to be feminine, and I’m very comfortable with that,” he said. “Growing up you don’t even know what those things mean. You have this idea of what being masculine is and as you grow up and experience more of the world, you become more comfortable with who you are.”
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As he doesn't limit himself in his expression of masculinity, or in music and art, Harry has also said that he doesn't label his sexuality.
“No, I’ve never felt the need to really,” Harry said in 2017. “I don’t feel like it’s something I’ve ever felt like I have to explain about myself.”
“It’s weird for me – everyone should just be who they want to be,” he continued. “It’s tough to justify somebody having to answer to someone else about stuff like that.”
This is the whole point: everyone should be allowed to be themselves without explanation. Seeing more art like Harry mentioned, the kind that blurs labels and roles, makes it more normal in society, and hopefully will help eliminate the idea that there's one specific way people should act based on sex or gender.
This article was originally published by TeenVogue.com.
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