Is it so inconceivable that someone this famous could be trapped in the same closet as you or me?
By Anna Marks Editorial Assistant, Opinion |
You should care about Harry Styles. His album "Harry's House" was, for many, the music of the summer — in large part owing to the success of the chart-topping single "As It Was." On Sunday, before Styles stepped onstage for a performance in his Madison Square Garden residency, he won an MTV Video Music Award for album of the year, a fitting prelude to a fall of more performances in other major cities across America. |
In a culture obsessed with identity politics, it's inevitable that we look at our icons and wonder who they really are, especially when their style and mystique seem to invite us to ask questions. Many have taken the queer symbolism on display in Styles's performances as just one part of a seemingly groundbreaking approach to presenting fluid identities to the public. Others, however, argue that Styles knowingly appropriates queer culture to burnish his celebrity. And still others believe that his identity — whatever it may mean for his art — ought to belong to him alone. |
In an essay for Times Opinion, I argue that Styles's performance (and its price) makes his identity our business. His display of queer symbols has helped to construct his public image: a bankable, untouchable cipher that is a study in contradictions — sexy but nonthreatening, amiable but unknowable, straight but readable as queer. |
As a queer fan, I often find myself weighing what Styles shows and says about himself against a society still constrained by homophobia. Resultantly, I ask: Is it really so inconceivable that one of the most famous people in the world could be trapped in the same closet as you or me? |
Of course, the story Styles tells us via his celebrity contains many possible meanings; we don't have enough evidence to know definitively what is true. But it's undeniable that his use of queer symbols — considered in the context of his relevance to pop culture — raises uncomfortable questions about what the privilege of ambiguity means for the struggle against homophobia. These questions are well worth considering, even if they are not always easily answerable. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
Contact us If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment