As a huge Harry Styles fan, I had been waiting for his Vogue interview to come out, but I had no idea he was on the cover of it, too. I opened my phone to 77 notifications from Twitter with everyone freaking out over the photoshoot for the article. My first reaction to the notifications was that perhaps people were excited about getting new content, but this cover was more than that. It was more because Styles was the first solo man to be on the cover of American Vogue, doing so in a louis blue, Gucci evening gown. 

Mixed in with all  the talk about COVID-19, there has also been a lot of discussion regarding gender and what it means in the past few months. People are coming out and sharing stories like never before, and it has been a time where activists have been more influential than ever before in my lifetime. 

There is an extreme belief in our society that genders are supposed to look and be a certain way, and activists of our time are really trying to break down these stereotypes. Like these activists, I believe that all people should be able to wear whatever they want. Clothes have no gender. 

I even more so feel this way after seeing Styles  standing proud in his dress on the cover of Vogue. But I mean, c’mon… what’s not to be proud of? He looks amazing. Fashion is meant for people to express themselves. That is the whole point of fashion, and Styles was doing no different by wearing the dress. 

The way that Styles has become such an inspiration and role model for many people is really powerful. Styles is proving to people that if something makes you happy, don’t let the nasty ideologies of society try to take that away from you. Do it and prove to society that the hateful things they say don’t matter. He proves that there is something powerful in embracing who you are and your true identity, and having the self-confidence to do so. 

In this generation of teenagers where our self-confidence and body image self-esteem are so low, Styles compels people to believe that who they are is beautiful, and that we don’t need to change ourselves to try and fit into society’s mold.

It is time that we as a society stop judging people for being who they are and being something that makes them happy. Happiness does not harm anyone in any way, so we need to work to tear down the toxic stereotypes our society has adopted.