A listener production.
Hello, my beautiful listeners.
I've jumped into your ears in between my guest chats
because I have a big question for you this week.
And it's something that I have been thinking about.
It's something that's actually a big part of my life.
It is Harry Styles.
For those of you with teenagers,
I'm sure you've had some experience with the man,
with the obsession that is Harry Styles.
My big question this week,
is worshipping Harry Styles a good thing
for our younger generation?
I would say absolutely yes.
Worshipping Harry Styles is an excellent thing
for our younger generation.
It's also a pretty cool thing for parents as well.
I'm a Harry Styles fan and I'm a newbie
in terms of being a, what do we call Harry Styles fans?
I've just made that up, but I'm a relative newbie
because my daughter, my youngest daughter,
was obsessed with One Direction.
And so I have come to hear a lot of Harry's music
Her birthday that we had in lockdown, her 13th birthday,
it was Harry Styles themed.
I got some Harry Styles cupcakes.
I made Harry Styles masks that I wore and I got PD to wear
and I tried to put them on our pussy cats.
They weren't so keen on them.
I had balloons and I stuck Harry's face to them.
So we do a lot of Harry Styles sorts of things at home.
Harry's music is very much the soundtrack in our car.
I hear it coming out of my daughter's bedroom.
He really has some wonderful songs.
And why I think he is a good thing
is that he is such a refreshing role model.
He is the antithesis of toxic masculinity.
He is a gender bending style icon.
He wears sequined jumpsuits and feather boas
in all sorts of colours.
He is someone who is so confident in his skin.
And the other thing that I think is so important
about what he does is that he's kind.
He preaches kindness at his concerts.
He's also non-judgmental.
And he's very open about how he leads his life.
He's open about reaching out,
getting support when he's needed it,
going to see a therapist to get through
some times in his life.
And I think sometimes with therapy as an example
is like you open a bunch of doors in your house
that you didn't know existed.
You find all these rooms and you get to explore them.
And then in a time when it would be easier
to emotionally coast, you can no longer do that
because you know the room exists
and the scale has just widened
and you feel everything that's bad so much harder.
You feel the good moments so much harder.
And I think that's why not only does he resonate
with young people, but he also resonates with us,
parents and older generation,
because his message is one of love and goodness.
And his concerts are empowering safe places for his fans.
I've seen clips on YouTube where his fans have come out
to their parents in the concert.
When this flag goes above my head,
you are officially out.
All right, when this side goes over the head,
you're officially gay, my boy.
There's also been gender reveals, marriage proposals.
He's helped fans who are getting over a heartbreak
and he'll call out to them
and it's a safe place for people to come.
And you look at the things on Instagram
where fans will post pictures
of what they're wearing to his concerts.
And there'll be any number
of glorious rainbow-hued costumes.
And it's not just young fans.
It's not just young women.
Of course, yes, there were the teenagers
who were very much the One Direction fans.
They've grown up with Harry, but you've also got parents.
You've also got older people there.
And what seems to be a common theme is joyfulness.
There's this wonderful sense
of coming together and celebration
because you see him on stage
and there is this real joy and this sense of coming together
because I think Harry is the sort of bloke
that we love our daughters
and perhaps even our sons to fall in love with
because there's something really special about him.
He's non-judgmental, he is inclusive
and he really seems comfortable in his skin.
I'm not ever gonna pretend to know
what someone's experience is,
but like I hear you in some way
and like definitely some self-awareness in there
and we're all flawed, you know?
And I think pretending that we're not is like,
I just don't get it really anymore.
And I think that's remarkable for a young man
who has been part of the biggest band in the world,
One Direction, but he is someone who is making his way
in the world in his very special way.
And something that really struck me,
I read in an interview with him in Rolling Stone
that what he does after each concert
is that he'll have a shower
and he'll do that at the particular venue
because it's almost like he needs to wash off
all of the heightened emotion.
He's been the centre of almost this frenzy
and this screaming, but he wants to wash it off
and come back to who he is.
And I think that's what keeps him grounded.
And I think that is why he is someone
who is worth worshipping, not only a younger generation,
but for me, for Petey and for everyone else.
Harry Styles, I cannot wait to wear a feather boa
and a sequin jumpsuit when I see you in Sydney.
I'll be back next week with one of my guests.
Until then, just know you are fabulous.