Billy Porter has re-addressed the criticism he made about Harry Styles becoming the United States Vogue magazineFirst ever solo cover star in 2019.
At the time, the former One Direction singer appeared on the cover of a fashion magazine wearing a Gucci dress.
Porter, who is best known for starring in the hit TV series antiquitieshe said in an interview Sunday times In 2020 he had many issues with it Vogue magazineThe decision showcased Styles, with the actor claiming that all the singer had to do to break barriers was “be white and straight.”
He said, “I was the first to do it and now everyone is doing it.” “I don’t pull Harry Styles, but…he doesn’t care, he just does it because it’s the thing to do. That’s politics to me. That’s my life.”
“I had to fight my whole life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars,” Porter added. “everyone [Styles] To be white and straight.”
Porter is known for his advocacy of gender-neutral fashion. He wore an iconic evening dress, designed by designer Christian Siriano, at the 2019 Academy Awards. At the Met Gala that same year, he wore a gold Cleopatra-inspired catsuit with wings, arriving at the event wearing a golden litter carried by six shirtless men.
The “Watermelon Sugar” singer often performs in gender-neutral outfits, it is reported US Vogue On his cover story: “Clothes are there to enjoy and to experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all those lines just kind of fall apart. There’s so much joy in playing with clothes.”
He added, “I never thought much about what that meant — it just became an extended part of creating something.”
Billy Porter wearing a Harry Styles evening gown
(GT)
After making his initial comments, Porter issued an apology to Styles live on The Late Show with Stephen ColbertHe says to the camera: “Harry Styles, I apologize for having your name in my mouth.
“It’s not about you. The conversation is not about you.”
Porter went on to explain that the conversation is “deeper,” because it’s actually about “regimes that oppress and erase people of color, who contribute to culture.”
After acknowledging that there was a lot to “unpack” regarding the topic, Porter indicated that he was willing to do so as long as it was without the interference of “the internet’s cancel culture”.
He said, “I’m willing to dismantle it, without the drag-and-drop culture of the Internet, because I don’t think now, and never will, judge my life or my humanity on social media soundbites.” “So when you’re ready to have a real conversation, call your ab****. Yeah? I’m ready to get it!”
In a new interview with The telegraphwhich was published on Friday (August 11, 2023), Porter explained how he could have connected better with Anna Wintour in 2019.
(Getty Images for Tribeca Festiva)
months before Harry Styles Vogue magazine The cover was revealed, and Porter had taken part in a Q&A with Anna Wintour in front of the Condé Nast staff.
“That motherfucker said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?'” “I was so caught off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said.”
Now, looking back, Porter thought about what he wished he had said: “Use your power Vogue magazine To raise the voices of the leaders of this fashion desexualization movement.”
However, as Porter puts it: “Six months later, Harry Styles became the first man on the cover.”
He said, “It’s not Harry Styles’ fault that he’s white and nice and straight and fits the infrastructure that way… I appeal to the gatekeepers.”
Porter now does not claim to be the “first” to push against gender stereotypes in fashion.
Harry Styles in a sequined jumpsuit in 2022
(PA)
“I know David Bowie has been around, and I know Sylvester has been around,” he told the publication.
Porter added that Styles is “white and he’s straight”, which explains why he’s “on the cover”.
“Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community — or your people are using my community — to uplift you. You didn’t have to sacrifice anything,” he said.
Porter is best known for starring in the hit TV series antiquities, which has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He became the first openly gay black man to be nominated for and win in any major acting category at the Primetime Emmys.
