Harry Styles inspires more questions than easy answers. Questions like: How do you make the jump from boy band stud to formidable solo artist, or how did you manage to make it in high-waisted vests and pants? And what, exactly, is the true meaning of “Watermelon Sugar”?
We may never get the answers from Styles himself. But a lucky group of students from Texas State University will analyze the particulars of the British pop star for a note.
Louie Dean Valencia associate professor of digital history at Texas State, announced last week that he will lead a class during spring 2023 titled “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture ” (Harry Styles and Celebrity Culture: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture”). Styles’ legions of fans quickly got wind of it, prompting many to consider moving to Texas.
But this journey through Styles’ career isn’t a fan class. The course centers the ever-popular Brit on a broader discussion of “the cultural and political development of modern celebrity in relation to issues of gender and sexuality, race, class, nation and globalism, media, fashion, fan culture, internet culture” and consumerism,” according to a handout for the shared class.
That’s a complex thing for the man who once wholeheartedly serenaded a love interest, saying she didn’t know she was beautiful. But as Styles’ musical gifts evolved, so did his place in the cultural lexicon, Valencia told CNN in an email.
“I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with students over the past two years that started with a shared love for Harry’s music, but quickly moved into larger societal questions about gender, sexuality, race, gun control, sustainability because of Harry’s art. “, he said.
Materials for the class will span early One Direction albums to Styles’ solo outings and his growing filmography, Valencia said, as well as the art that inspired Styles, from Susan Sontag’s writing to Alain de Botton’s philosophy, among other subjects.
Valencia, who has been a Styles fan since his One Direction days, said Styles, like the Beatles, Billie Holiday and even Shakespeare, provides a lens through which students can better understand their world. Styles’ main tenets are positivity and self-love, he said.
“Self-expression and comfort with yourself are a big part of Harry’s message – as well as treating people with kindness,” Valencia said. “A lot of people, myself included, feel like they grew up with him — and so there’s a connection.”
He said he hopes students who take this course, considering history as they live it with one of the world’s biggest musical superstars, will inspire the same self-acceptance and unbridled joy that a Styles show does.
Source: CNN Brasil
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