Harry Styles just powerfully opened up about his sexuality

It’s been another major year for Harry Styles. Not only has his latest single ‘As It Was’ been dominating the charts, but he’s also effectively won Coachella – thanks in part to his friends Shania Twain and Lizzo.

It hasn’t always been easy though, the singer was catapulted to fame as a teenager courtesy of One Direction on The X Factor. Since day one, there’s been incessant speculation about his love life, which took a serious toll on his mental health and relationships. 

In a candid new interview with Better Homes & Gardens, Harry Styles reflected on life in the spotlight, saying,  “For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life.”

Harry continued, “I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with.”

He also opened up about the specific pressures of trying to be likeable, which he noted that he’d also discussed with his therapist, saying, “In lockdown, I started processing a lot of stuff that happened when I was in the band,” adding that he was encouraged to give himself away to “get people to engage with you, to like you.”

He later added, “At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful, 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.”

He also opened up about feeling the pressure to put a label on his sexuality, saying, “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.”

His comments follow intense public speculation about his sexuality, with some commentators accusing him of profiting from his proximity to queerness without actually confirming anything. 

He also spoke powerfully about celebrity culture in general, saying, “I think we’re in a moment of reflection,” Styles said. “You look back, especially now there’s all the documentaries, like the Britney documentary, and you watch how people were abused in that way, by that system, especially women. You recall articles from not even five years ago, and you’re like, I can’t even believe that was written.”

For more from Glamour UK’s Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.