Harry Styles Sometimes Feels Like A 'Hypocrite' For Not Sharing Private Life With Fans

Harry Styles is getting candid about his relationship with the Stylers.

The former One Direction band member who broke out as a solo singer in 2017 has taken over the pop scene and, in the process, amassed the love of many. The adoration bestowed on Styles by his massive fan base is evident in the special and somewhat personal moments they often share with him.

The English singer, who is currently on his Love On Tour, has often made headlines for the heart-warming moments he shares with fans during his shows. If Styles isn't helping his fans propose, he's helping them come out and embrace their sexuality.

However, despite the deep bond Stylers believe they have with the "Watermelon Sugar" singer, he doesn't have the same with them, especially when it comes to his private life.

In his August Rolling Stone Cover, Styles opened up about his complicated need to maintain his privacy, especially his sexual and romantic life, as he becomes a bigger pop star. The "As It Was" singer, who has been open about his commitment to therapy to sort through his emotions, noted he still feels shame when it comes to his heavily scrutinized sexuality.

As a result, he is trying to find the sweet spot between being vulnerable while still protecting it from the public, but that journey hasn't come without Styles feeling like a "hypocrite," he told the publication.

"When I’m working, I work really hard, and I think I’m really professional," he explained. "Then when I’m not, I’m not. I’d like to think I’m open, and probably quite stubborn, too, and willing to be vulnerable. I can be selfish sometimes, but I’d like to think that I’m a caring person."

Styles' decision not to be transparent about his sexuality has resulted in quite the controversy, with many accusing him of "queerbating," given that his public relationships have been with only women despite defying fashion rules for men. Addressing the backlash, the 28-year-old said, "Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone. If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something."

Touching on comments on his love life, especially his rumored romance with actress Olivia Wilde. The pair are always together and sparked dating rumors when they were seen holding hands at his manager Jeffrey Azoff’s wedding in January 2021.

While neither of them has confirmed the romance, they haven't denied it either, leading fans to conclude they are indeed together. As a result, netizens, especially those on Twitter, have dissected their relationship, slamming Wilde for the 10-year age difference between them. The "House" actress is 38 and Styles is 28.

The actress has even been the subject of lengthy Twitter threads criticizing her dance skills.  Styles, who only uses Instagram to look at plants and architecture, described Twitter "as a shitstorm of people trying to be awful to people." Addressing the backlash, he said, "That obviously doesn’t make me feel good."

Styles, who believes he has tried hard to set boundaries between himself and his fanbase, says the lines have sometimes been blurred thanks to notorious fans. "Can you imagine going on a second date with someone and being like, ‘OK, there’s this corner of the thing, and they’re going to say this, and it’s going to be really crazy, and they’re going to be really mean, and it’s not real.… But anyway, what do you want to eat?" he explains.

The singer believes most of the Stylers embody kindness just like he does, but sometimes the noise can get too loud and negative. "It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something. I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that."

Wilde shares a similar sentiment that the trolls online don't make the majority of her rumored boyfriend's fans. She told the publication that the Stylers are "deeply loving people," but what she doesn't "understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry and everything he puts out there.

She continues, "I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness.”