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| Fans At Love on Tour in Long Island (4) |
One Direction vs. A Solo Career
Pop icon Harry Styles had humble beginnings working in a bakery in England until his big break on the hit show, X Factor. On the show, the infamous Simon Cowell put 5 guys into a boy band named One Direction, Styles being a part of it. Harry quickly became many young fans' main "crush" after One Direction took off. He went through many phases through the 6 years the band was together before they went on a hiatus in 2016. From 2010-now many One Direction fans have grown up with Styles and feel a personal connection to him. After One Direction went on hiatus, Styles launched his solo career in 2017 and developed many new fans deeming the fandom of "Harries."
Love on Tour
Harry Styles announced his second world tour, "Love on Tour" in 2019 after the release of Fine Line. Fans went crazy buying these tickets and sold out stadiums worldwide. The night before each concert, fans would line up outside the stadium and camp for the next day. This means that they couldn't leave that spot for 24 hours just so they could get as close to the stage as possible. Due to COVID-19 Love on Tour was put on hold due to lockdown and for the safety of the fans. Once the tour was able to fully come back every fan felt connected. The tour and the show are all about love and loving and showing kindness to the people around you and every fan upholds that. This also is not just your average show. This is a fashion event, a meet and greet, and a way to connect with other fans.
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| Fans Outside of Madison Square Garden for Love on Tour (5) |
Treating People with Kindness (TPWK)
After releasing his second studio album, Fine Line, the saying "treat people with kindness" became huge in the fandom based on the 11th song on the album. This has become prominent in all the merchandising, made by fans and Harry himself. People have even gone as far as getting tattoos based on this saying. This saying is a huge theme in the community and what the fandom is based on, treating others with respect and kindness.
Fan Merchandise and Idolizing Harry
Over the past few years as Harry has grown in popularity, many fans have taken it upon themselves to make their own merchandise representing Harry, his songs, and his style. Many fans have even gotten tattoos that represent songs and their lyrics, and tattoos that Harry has even gotten himself. Styles is known to have a more feminine and controversial way of dressing as he typically breaks "gender roles." Many Harries have protected Harry when he did a cover shoot for Vouge being the first male on the cover in 2020 while wearing a dress. Men wearing dresses is not a new phenomenon yet this caused a lot of drama around Harry and older more Christians and conservatives started to hate him. Fans stood up for him on social media and brought up the theme of treating people with kindness. Another thing fans of his did was start to dress up based off the things he would wear. For example, Harry has two prominent rings that he wears, one being the letter "H" and the other being an "S." Many fans started to get their versions of these staple rings in their initials. Fans have also bought the same sweaters, shirts, and necklaces that he wears.
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| Fan Tattoo (1) |
"Celebrity" Fans and Making Their Own Careers
Within the fandom, there are separate bigger creators who are deemed as "celebrities" within the fan base. One of the biggest known fan girls, particularly of Harry, is Brittany Broski. She reacts and comments on things going on in the fandom and talks about what's new with Harry. She has been to multiple shows and was even surprised by Harry's management to get to meet him before he went on stage. This fandom has been able to launch certain fans into a career in writing, social media, and merchandising just due to the things they do for the fanbase. For example, many fans have manufactured and sold their own merch representing Styles and have been so popular in doing so that they now have a career.
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| Brittany Meeting Harry in New York |
Video of Brittany Broski Meeting Harry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdm_j2z4Uk0 q
The Impact of Fan Fiction
Fan fiction has had a major impact on the fan base, particularly starting in the One Direction era. Many fans had their own stories and theories and would post them to sites like Tumblr, Wattpad, and Archive of Their Own (AO3). Many stories have included the different boys of One Direction falling in love, and the reader falling in love with Harry himself. Many of these stories have become so popular that they have reached millions of views. One story named After was so popular that the author Anna Todd was able to make a 5 part movie series collaborating with Netflix.
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| After Poster for Netflix (3) |
Beachwood Cafe and Mandeville Bakery
In Harry's hit song Falling there is a lyric stating, "And the coffee's out/at the Beachwood Cafe." This is a real cafe in Los Angeles and many fans go there since it is stated in the song and has boosted this business immensely. Another location that many fans go to is the Mandeville Bakery in England since it is the bakery that Harry worked at before he started on the X-factor. This has also boosted the business a ton and they have many fans coming in asking about what Harry was like at work.
My Personal Experience
I have been a fan of Harry Styles since 2013, at the height of One Direction. It wasn't until 2017 when Styles launched his solo career, that I truly began to see him as an artist. I had always loved what he did in One Direction, but when he went solo, I saw him for him. I have always loved the message that Harry stands for and I appreciate him even more. As mentioned before he has always stood for treating people with kindness regardless of what they look like or where they come from. I have always loved his music and I really love how raw and honest his lyrics can be. My favorite song is Fine Line, not only is it my favorite song by Harry but also my favorite song in general. I traveled to New York to Madison Square Garden in 2022 to see his Love on Tour concert and as an avid concert-goer, this was one of the best experiences I have had at a concert. You could feel the entire stadium shake as everyone was dancing and after the concert, everyone was playing Harry's songs. I also collect vinyl records have all three of his albums and I own his merchandise. I know all the songs by heart and I love what Harry has stood for and I am so excited to see what the future holds for him.
Sources:
2. Love on Tour Photo: https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/harry-styles-love-on-tour-new-york-photos
3. After IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4126
4. Fans at Love on Tour Long Island: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100544789/harry-styles-one-night-only-show476/
5. Fans at Madison Square Garden: https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/harry-styles-love-on-tour-new-york-photos
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