Harry Styles has been famous ever since the boy band One Direction gained popularity in the early 20 teens. Since the boy band broke up Harry has gone on to be a solo artist, gaining extreme popularity. His first album called “Harry Styles” came out in 2017 but this was not the album he gained the most following on, it actually was his album “Fine Line” that came out in 2019. Ever since “Fine Line” Harry has been the talk of the town and has been coming out with many products like his nail polish brand: Pleasing or constantly going on concert. The movie “Don’t Worry Darling” just came out in theaters in late September that features him. His PR team knows how to reel in the money, especially with his new line that expands the Pleasing brand: makeup. Now, I am a huge Harry Styles fan but when I saw this it made me scratch my head. In my mind, Harry is not well known for wearing makeup like he is nail polish, so this seemed like a huge money grab. This just seems out of his character and I am not very interested in this line because it does not seem like Harry Style’s authentic brand.
Some critics say Harry Styles wears more feminine clothing for the hype and some celebrities have even come out about this. Specifically Billy Porter said “I created the conversation [about nonbinary fashion] and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on the cover for the first time….He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life” (Newsweek Article from 2021). Now there are some controversial things Billy Porter said specifically when it comes to Harry Styles sexuality. Billy Porter did assume that Harry Styles was straight while Harry himself has not confirmed his sexuality. However, when you look at the big picture, this makeup brand is not the first time Harry Styles has been accused of doing something for clout. This all just adds to the conversation of “Did Harry do this for clout?” And I still have no idea. All I know is that when I think of Harry, I don’t think of how he wears makeup, so it feels like a money grab.
In this line Harry released a few skincare products as well as an eye shadow palette and some cream pigments. And overall, the products don’t wow me. Regardless of whether or not this was a money grab, this product release seems quite boring. The colors don’t create a cohesive eyeshadow palette and the pigments are just okay. This is not the first time celebrities have released a makeup brand, many of them were obviously money grabs. For example Kylie Jenner, her products were not the best quality but her lip kits were all the rage because she is indeed Kylie Jenner. There are some celebrities who have done a beauty brand right like Rihannas “Fenty Beauty,” Lady Gaga’s “Haus Labs,” or Selena Gomez’s “Rare Beauty.” However something all three of those ladies have in common is that they are known for wearing makeup that is fun or stunning. The amount of effort and work that goes into the products and brand feel genuine while this Harry Style’s makeup line seems like there was no thought or care that went into it at all.
Now I want to make it clear that I did not write this because “boys should not wear makeup.” Actually, I believe anyone can wear makeup or dress however they want. My main issue with this is that it seems like a money grab and I am worried Harry Styles is becoming in-genuine due to the extreme fame or even his own PR Team. I loved Harry for his album “Fine Line” because it felt authentically like him. It seemed like he put in a lot of work and passion into those songs, each one having a different vibe yet still all being amazing. But now I don’t know where that Harry went. Trust me, I know people change, but this makeup brand move just seems fake. I certainly do not know Harry Styles personally, so he may have put his heart and soul into this, but I get a feeling that that is not the case. Bring back the Harry Styles we all know and love, allow Harry to do and release what he wants, do not work him to death with releases of music or tours or brands just for some quick cash. As consumers, we have a civil duty to support who we want with our money and personally, I do not want to support someone trying to make cash by exploiting Harry Styles’ brand and the people who wear makeup for a political statement.