Billy Porterisn’t a fan ofHarry Styles’Voguecover.In a new interview withThe Telegraph, published on Friday, the actor, 53, revealed his feelings about the “Daylight” singer beingthe first solo maleto appear on the cover of the fashion magazine. Styles, 29, famously posed in a Gucci gown forVogue’s December 2020 issue.Porter, who is known for breaking barriers with his gender-fluid fashions, said he felt that the One Direction alum landed the cover because he’s “white and straight."“It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community — or your people are using my community — to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything,” he said, explaining his feelings for Styles' fashion sense.Manny Carabel/WireImage, Kevin Mazur/GettyPorter revealed that several months before the cover was unveiled, he sat down for an interview withAnna Wintour, and theVogueeditor-in-chief asked him for his thoughts on how to lead the magazine amid this experimental new era of fashion. “That bitch said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said,” he recalled.In retrospect, Porter said he should have told Wintour, “Use your power asVogueto uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement.“Billy Porter and Anna Winter attend London Fashion Week in February 2020.Santiago Felipe/Getty"Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover,” he added.TheKinky Bootsstar insisted he doesn’t blame Styles for the magazine’s decision to feature him on the cover. “It’s not Harry Styles’ fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way … I call out the gatekeepers,” Porter said.Harry Styles became the first solo man to appear on the cover of ‘Vogue’ in 2020.Nathan Congleton/NBC via GettyThis isn’t the first time Porter has shared his disappointment aboutthe handling of the history-making cover. In October 2021, he toldThe Sunday Times, “I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I created the conversation [about nonbinary fashion] and yetVoguestill put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it,” Porter added. “I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but… He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life.“After facing some criticism for his remarks, Porter clarified during an appearance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertthe following month that the issue is actually “much deeper” than Styles.“It is about the systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture,” he explained, adding an apology for Styles: “I’m sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean no harm. I’m a gay man. We like Harry. He’s cute.”
Billy Porterisn’t a fan ofHarry Styles’Voguecover.
In a new interview withThe Telegraph, published on Friday, the actor, 53, revealed his feelings about the “Daylight” singer beingthe first solo maleto appear on the cover of the fashion magazine. Styles, 29, famously posed in a Gucci gown forVogue’s December 2020 issue.
Porter, who is known for breaking barriers with his gender-fluid fashions, said he felt that the One Direction alum landed the cover because he’s “white and straight.”
“It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community — or your people are using my community — to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything,” he said, explaining his feelings for Styles' fashion sense.
Manny Carabel/WireImage, Kevin Mazur/Getty
Porter revealed that several months before the cover was unveiled, he sat down for an interview withAnna Wintour, and theVogueeditor-in-chief asked him for his thoughts on how to lead the magazine amid this experimental new era of fashion. “That bitch said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said,” he recalled.
In retrospect, Porter said he should have told Wintour, “Use your power asVogueto uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement.”
Billy Porter and Anna Winter attend London Fashion Week in February 2020.Santiago Felipe/Getty
Santiago Felipe/Getty
“Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover,” he added.
TheKinky Bootsstar insisted he doesn’t blame Styles for the magazine’s decision to feature him on the cover. “It’s not Harry Styles’ fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way … I call out the gatekeepers,” Porter said.
Harry Styles became the first solo man to appear on the cover of ‘Vogue’ in 2020.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
This isn’t the first time Porter has shared his disappointment aboutthe handling of the history-making cover. In October 2021, he toldThe Sunday Times, “I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I created the conversation [about nonbinary fashion] and yetVoguestill put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it,” Porter added. “I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but… He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life.”
After facing some criticism for his remarks, Porter clarified during an appearance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertthe following month that the issue is actually “much deeper” than Styles.
“It is about the systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture,” he explained, adding an apology for Styles: “I’m sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean no harm. I’m a gay man. We like Harry. He’s cute.”
source: people.com
