I have been a self-proclaimed Harry Styles fan for over a decade now and I eat up (pardon the pun) any form of Harry Styles’ media whether it’s his music, movies, or the interviews in which he cleverly avoids answering questions for ten minutes. During this time Styles has been increasingly exploited in more ways than one.
His recent music video for ‘Music For a Sushi Restaurant’ (MFASR), a song from his newest album Harry’s House, plays with spectacle and metaphor to reveal how Styles has been used by the music industry. The video begins with Styles dressed as a mermaid who has been washed ashore and captured by some fishermen. The beach has been a recurring location throughout his career, most notably in the music video for his Grammy award-winning song ‘Watermelon Sugar’. However, if we rewind to the very beginning of his career, One Directions’ debut single, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was shot on a beach, perfectly mirroring the beginning of MFASR, just like the mermaid Styles really was captured, but not by fisherman, instead it was the grueling X Factor panel, and later into the hands of Simon Cowell’s record label.
The video continues with the mermaid singing as a siren to save themselves from being slaughtered at the sushi restaurant. At this point it all gets a little bit weird, it almost feels like a fever dream come to life. The costume, and the makeup, felt like diving into a prop cupboard for a production of the little mermaid, but it was also completely on brand for Styles who is known for his brilliant accessories and outfits that demand attention, wanted or unwanted. A slimy mermaid tale ridden with tentacles and scales, however, is not quite what I personally pictured when anticipating what this music video would entail. The spectacle is marvelously clever, many fans were confused and somewhat concerned by the appearance of the video, people even said that Styles had managed to give them the ‘ick’. Yet, does this not speak to the issue at hand? Harry Styles is more than just his image, yet he has to rely on it so heavily because the media has formed him into such a desirable being that if he deviates from this persona, then fans who are normally captivated by his looks are grossed out. The whole video is a metaphor for how the industry has treated him like a piece of meat, and the video clearly proves its own point.
 The mermaid receives a makeover and is pampered by their reluctant crew, all with the purpose of forming a complete image, one of a star. One of the more comedic moments of the video is when a fan comes up asking to touch the mermaid’s tale, resulting in a quick flick of a tentacle as the fan receives a slap around the face. This moment most definitely made me laugh, however, I can’t help but think this must be what Styles sometimes wishes he could do to those fans who invade his space in real life. Although a light-hearted and funny moment, it does speak volumes about the uncomfortable situations that Styles is frequently subject to.
 What has to be the most impactful moment of the video, the point in which most fans realised that this is more than just a bizarre thought come to life, is when the mermaid fails to perform to the expected standard and is cut up into sushi rolls. I don’t know about you but this moment hurt me a little bit because this really displays the fragility of the music industry and social media in general. When he is performing at his peak, Styles is adored by millions of fans, however, as soon as he slips up the industry can erase his image.
 Music For a Sushi Restaurant is undeniably a perfect song to uplift your mood, but images of Styles cut up into sushi rolls will be looming in the back of my mind forevermore. Currently, I’m just sitting here wondering how everyone else whose favourite artist is Harry Styles, and whose favourite food is Sushi, is holding up because I’m certainly not okay.