If you’re going to get an artist to be your magazine’s first-ever global cover star, you may as well go big. That’s exactly what Rolling Stone did this week, unveiling Harry Styles as the subject of a sprawling profile.
And it’s already set the internet alight, with parts about everything from his controversial relationship with Olivia Wilde to his journey to figuring out his sexuality being picked up and dissected by fans.
According to the in-depth interview, however, the singer isn’t a happy chappy with everyone in his fanbase. Styles used the profile to call out the behaviour of his stans, particularly their treatment of his famous girlfriend.
Calling Twitter a “shitstorm of people trying to be awful to people,” he revealed that comments directed at his loved ones such as Wilde “obviously doesn’t make me feel good.”
The former One Direction star offered an analogy: “Can you imagine going on a second date with someone and being like, ‘OK, there’s this corner of the thing, and they’re going to say this, and it’s going to be really crazy, and they’re going to be really mean, and it’s not real.… But anyway, what do you want to eat?'”
Wilde was also interviewed for the Rolling Stone piece, and agreed with her boyfriend about the negative elements in his fanbase, calling their behaviour “the antithesis of Harry.”
“I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness,” she added. Considering ‘Treat People With Kindness’ has become a slogan for Styles, this makes sense.
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Elsewhere in the interview, Styles opened up about his sexuality, saying, “I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it.” You can read the full Rolling Stone profile of Styles here.
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Listen to “Treat People With Kindness’ by Harry Styles:
