Harry Styles addresses ‘queerbaiting’ backlash on SNL
Topics: Harry Styles, TV And Film, LGBTQ
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images
Topics: Harry Styles, TV And Film, LGBTQ
Harry Styles has poked fun at the backlash he has received throughout his career, when people accused him of 'queerbaiting'.
Styles used the opening monologue of his hosting stint on SNL at the weekend (March 14) to take aim at the hate he received.
To 'queerbait' or be 'queerbaiting' was initially criticism used against fictional content such as books and TV shows which attempt to win over LGBTQ+ audiences by hinting at same-sex relationships, without ever explicitly confirming if the character is gay or lesbian or not.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as the 'practice of trying to appeal to and capitalize on LGBTQ audiences or customers in a deceptive or superficial manner.'
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More recently it has been used to hit out at celebrities who are seen to be trying to tease audiences, without clarifying their sexuality, with critics saying they are profiting from LGBTQ+ culture while also ensuring any homophobic fans don't cancel them.
Styles said: “Back then, people seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, something called queerbaiting.
“And some people accused me of it but did it ever occur to you that... maybe you don’t know everything about me, dad?” he joked.
“I ran it past him. He was fine with it," he then laughed, saying he'd checked that with his dad first.
Joking about his album title, Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, he said: "Sometimes, kissing can be great, if you’re really good at it, and you’re a good person."
“Or if you have a tight little bum,” he added, as show regular Ben Marshall appeared onstage, with Styles asking: “Hi Ben. What are you doing up here?”
“Well, you said tight little bum … so where’s my kiss?” Marshall replied, before Styles said “Whatever, come here,” before pulling Marshall in for a kiss.
Styles then turned to the crowd and added: “Now that’s queerbaiting!” with a wink.
The singer is currently reported to be dating Hollywood star Zoë Kravitz.
He previously received a lot of hate for posing on the front of Vogue magazine while wearing a dress.
It's not the first time Styles has responded to the 'queerbaiting' accusations, as he told The Guardian back in 2019: “Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No.
"In terms of how I wanna dress, and what the album sleeve's gonna be, I tend to make decisions in terms of collaborators I want to work with. I want things to look a certain way," he added.
"Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool.”
When asked about his sexuality, he responded: “It’s: who cares? Does that make sense? It’s just: who cares?”