By Ryley McNichols

January 21, 2021

People always say to be true to yourself; be what you want to be. There is something those people fail to mention: the judgement we face in today’s society. You will get judged for what you are wearing, eating, saying and doing.

This brings me to celebrity Harry Styles. He graced the cover of Vogue in a dress and it started an uproar. The amount of judgement he got was unwarranted.

Some internet trolls are saying men shouldn’t wear dresses or act the way he does. There was a trending topic on Twitter pushing to “Bring back ‘manly’ men.”

If you looked past the judgement, he was the first solo male to ever be on the cover of Vogue. That was overshadowed by the judgement over what he was wearing. 

This history-making accomplishment was masked by the fact he was dressing in a way some people said was unmanly. The amount of confidence it takes to say “whatever” and do what you want is immeasurable. Styles frequently paints his nails, wears pearls and dresses in an unconventional way. He chooses to be himself and does not care what others think. 

He is helping people around the world by being who he is: a role model for people who are struggling to come into their own and a voice for those people. If someone as famous as Styles can be who he wants to be, with millions of people watching his every move, then there is no reason everyone cannot do the same thing.

They say “bring back mainly men,” but in all honesty, they never left. For a man to be photographed in a dress and put on one of the world’s largest magazines takes an extreme amount of confidence and power. Manly men never left; they just evolved into something that insecure people don’t like.

All I have to say is: you do you, Harry, and hopefully people will start doing them, without the fear of what others think. Be yourself — you only have one life, so make it count. Wear the shirt, say what you think and whatever you do. Don’t ever hold back; you might regret it. Can we ever be truly happy without being the most true to ourselves?