Harry Styles, congratulations and more than that; thank you.
You deserve endless applause right now, all the praise and positivity and all of the well wishes in the world, this is a huge moment for you, you’ve earned it. After a rather quiet introduction to 2016 for you, you took the last half of the year by storm. There was your Another Man Magazine feature, which still has people talking and also goes to show how powerful you are when you’re just being yourself, how many people you inspire by your existence. Then there’s the Dunkirk trailer, which shows your dedication and is a testament to how hard you worked to get here, on your talent and your passion – not your name. Perhaps that’s the thing you most deserve credit for; that while the world is at your feet, you never take anything from it, you instead make sure that you’ve earned it first.
You’ve been a bright light since the world first knew you, and before that too, when you laid about in Holmes Chapel not knowing the inside of tour busses and hotel rooms and stages across the globe. You’ve been color and warmth since you embraced yourself unapologetically and encouraged others to do the same. You’ve been safety since you spoke out about inequality in saying that there was no place for that where you stood, it wasn’t welcome. You’ve been home since you first gave your love to anyone who was lacking it, to those who’d never received the sentiment.
You’ve been kind to anyone you’ve ever come in contact with, you’ve welcomed every single person you’ve met with open arms and an open mind. You’ve trusted people to have your best interest in mind and when they didn’t, instead of responding with fire or disdain, you loved anyway and knew that you’d be stronger for it at the end of the day. You’ve been a pillar of strength when people tried to break you, you’ve been personable when people brought you unkindness. You’ve been gentle when you were touched with rough hands and when you were taken advantage of you didn’t strike back with a vengeful hand. You just smiled and knew, you knew that your softness was more important than what tried to break it. You knew that standing up to break the softness of others wasn’t at the soul of who you are.
The soul of you is made of passionate reds and warm oranges, happy yellows and fresh greens. The soul of you is made of beautiful blues and soft indigos. The soul of you is made of the loving violet, silky and smooth and intoxicatingly beautiful.
You embody those colors…those emotions and your spirit, it signifies freedom which is the one thing that’s not been fully yours until now. You’ve lived under the notion that you should embrace what others thought you should be, to fit a mold they created for you. You wanted to make other people happy even if it was at the expense of your own happiness. The beautiful thing is that your heart and your love were too vibrant to ever be stopped by lothario rumors and stories of you reveling in your fame and the “extra” it brought you. You’ve never given anyone a reason to believe that you’d devalue yourself or the bodies of others; you’ve never spoken of notches on bedposts or a lackluster idea of monotony. You’ve never given anyone a reason to believe that you think you’re superior, above those around you, more deserving of power and fame than your friends and band mates and other people in the same industry. People may want that of you, but the people who matter know better.
You’re creative and talented and you see the world in colors as bright as your own and you welcome everyone into your heart as you unknowingly carve your way into theirs.
You deserve to be proud of yourself and to know how important and rare and beautiful you are. You deserve to feel how much you’re loved and respected as you embrace this new chapter in your life; no one has earned it more. Love pays off, and you’re living proof of that. Thank you for being an example to all of us and thank you for never giving up.
You’ve created a new level of humanity and compassion that people strive to meet and in today’s world, nothing is needed more desperately. Thank you, Harry, for giving hope for a more compassionate world because people like you exist in it; there are no words to truly show our gratitude.
Take the time to enjoy the now; the quiet moments that you can reflect upon the work you’ve done and the passion inside of you that drives you to excel. You know, and take responsibility, for a number of people all across the world who look to you as an idol, as a living legend, as someone they aspire to be. That isn’t something you take lightly, not something you brush aside or turn a blind eye to – you instead, strive every day to be better, kinder, and it’s one of your most admirable traits.
Harry Styles is not just a name of a musical talent, it’s not the name of an actor or songwriter, it’s not just the name of one member of One Direction. Harry Styles is not just the name of a celebrity, not someone blinded by the word famous; Harry Styles is the name of a man who encourages others to live better simply by the way you exist – and that’s the definition of beauty.
‘Do not be lonely, the entire universe is inside of you ‘ – Rumi