One Direction fans are no strangers to articles laced with fallacies about Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall – they’re (sadly) second nature now. So in a not surprising series of events, a set of articles released over the last two days have painted Harry in a light much dimmer than the one he deserves. As usual, the incredible fans of Harry Styles jumped up in arms, with good reason, and took to social media to stand in his defense.
Within 48 hours, three tabloid articles were released that not only contradicted themselves and one another, but attempted to paint Harry as a womanizer – something the media hasn’t stopped doing since the beginning of One Direction, even with his clear distaste and pained dismissals of the accusation in the past.
Harry not only has kindness, but respect radiating off of him at all times. He has grown up in front of a public that wanted to label him a womanizer, a lothario, a man driven by lust and has stayed pure, kind, and compassionate through the rumors and fallacies. Harry not only stands up for his fans and his bandmates, but for women – the ones in his life and the ones who stand in the crowd of One Direction shows every night and thank Harry for giving them the strength to keep going.
Harry said, in an interview once, that he has a lot of friends that are girls and the media makes it seem like he’s dating them all. He tried to shrug it off as he spoke about the accusations, but it was clear in his eyes that it hurt him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the first or the last time he’d be called a ladies man. It wasn’t the first or the last time that he’d be accused of disrespecting women. It wasn’t the first or the last time that he’d be questioned about his motives in romance when it’s clear that his love comes with honor and compassion, not a late night hotel visit and a notch in a bed post.
The most recent set of rumors have linked him to Chelsea Handler, an air hostess named Megan, and Kendall Jenner – and apparently some of those ‘relationships’ overlapped, thus making Harry the target of yet another smear campaign, or an extension of his ever lasting one. The boy has been declared a womanizer since he was 16 – it’s a disgusting mistruth.
Seeing Harry fall victim to these rumors again made fans stand up – enough is enough. The hashtag #RespectHarry was seen all across the timelines of One Direction fans during the afternoon and evening of April 4th. A twitter user @larryswaIIows seemed to start the initiative as a way to retweet kind things onto Harry’s timeline to counteract the ugly rumors that were spreading.
We talk a lot about how kind the boys are, but their fans are the exact same – always looking for ways to give back, to show how much they care – this is just one way the One Direction fanbase continues to prove that through anything; they’re always here for their boys.
The replies came – and in large numbers – full of inspiration, love, and support. Each tweet was then retweeted so that Harry – upon signing in – would see a load of positivity where negativity would have originally been.
People say @Harry_Styles is too good for this world bc it's true. "Don't listen to the haters", Harry. #RespectHarry pic.twitter.com/kGm6wUEb83
— Jackie Davids(Jax) ??#BlackLivesMatter (@jaxdavids) April 4, 2016
I love harry bc he taught me to be confident and the opinions of others doesn't matter. He taught me to be myself https://t.co/c0DW6KbsRO
— nerea (@94hesloves) April 4, 2016
If only the world treated Harry even half as good as he treats the world… he is & deserves so much better ?
— Sarah ???? (@LouBear_85) April 4, 2016
Harry, dumpling, I hope all this is going somewhere good pretty soon; you deserve so much better. #RespectHarry https://t.co/xWHW1NQ9Nv
— ??üë (@Lazulioness) April 4, 2016
https://twitter.com/llhn1d/status/717115817800835072
These were just a few of the tweets that Harry was greeted with, not tweets about the rumors, not tweets about the ‘articles’ – just tweets about his kindness, his respect, and how much he is loved. If anyone deserves that, it’s Harry, it’s Harry every single day.
Thank you, Harry, for being a beacon of light, love, and truth. For standing up, in the face of these tactless rumors and refusing to give in to their game or to stoop to their level. Thank you for being strong when some would expect you to be weak, thus inspiring those of us who look up to you to do the same. Thank you for respecting women; from the ones in your family and the ones you know closely, to the ones who’s names you may never know but have given you parts of their hearts – parts you hold closely and protect fearlessly. You have made a home for a group of people all across this world who have never felt safety in any other part of their lives. You have given love to people all across this world who have never felt cared for until you stood before them and told them that they deserved to be happy. You have proven that when the world wants to break you down, you never have to fall under the weight they place on your shoulders; that you can be strong and in that strength, still be nice – even if it’s not given or returned to you.
You’re the epitome of what people think of when they think of the perfect man – and it goes far beyond those dimples and curls, far beyond those eyes and that smile. It’s your heart, the rainbow of colors that shine through you, and the way you’ve made it clear that the most important thing in the world is to “be nice to nice”.
Harry Styles is a man of many names; dreamer, lover, beacon of light – and a womanizer isn’t now, nor will it ever be, one of those things.
If you want to show respect to Harry, join in with the hashtag #RespectHarry on Twitter and tag us at @CelebMix1D – we’ll retweet them and show Harry that the truth always prevails, even if it’s with a triumphant whisper and that love wins, always.