Queerbaiting definition explained as Harry Styles' Rolling Stone interview sparks online debate

Harry Styles was accused of queerbaiting (Image via Getty Images)

Harry Styles recently defended himself against queerbaiting allegations while speaking to Rolling Stone in an interview. The pop star addressed the criticism he faced for allegedly profiting off queer aesthetics while being publicly seen with women and said:

“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone. If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”

He also spoke about his role in the upcoming film My Policeman, where he portrays a closeted 1950s British cop who is in a same-sex relationship, at a time when LGBTQ+ romance was considered illegal.

Harry Styles said that his role was not just about being in a same-sex relationship but figuring out one’s true identity and about finding love:

“It’s obviously pretty unfathomable now to think, ‘Oh, you couldn’t be gay. That was illegal. I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it. It’s not like ‘This is a gay story about these guys being gay.’ It’s about love and about wasted time to me.”

The Watermelon Sugar hitmaker also opened up about his thoughts on intimate same-sex scenes in the film:

“So much of gay s*x in film is two guys going at it, and it kind of removes the tenderness from it. There will be, I would imagine, some people who watch it who were very much alive during this time when it was illegal to be gay, and [director Michael Grandage] wanted to show that it’s tender and loving and sensitive.”

In the same interview, Harry Styles also spoke about the consistent scrutiny he and his rumored girlfriend Olivia Wilde have faced ever since the news of their relationship came to light:

“It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something. I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that.”

Meanwhile, Wilde said that she believes the online hate only comes from a particular section of people who spread negativity and it does not define Styles’ main fanbase:

“What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry, and everything he puts out there. I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness.”

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde met on the set of the latter’s directorial film Don’t Worry Darling in September 2020. The pair sparked romance rumors after they were photographed at a friend’s wedding in January 2021 and have continued to appear together in public.

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What is Queerbating?

The word queerbaiting is often used to define the idea of capitalizing on the LGBTQ+ community with certain suggestive implications without providing an actual representation of the queer community.

For example, the term can be used to criticize an attempt to attract or profit off the LGBTQ+ audience by constantly suggesting an attraction between two same-sex characters in any given film or TV show without exploring the presence of the attraction and having a queer representation onscreen.

The term can also be used to refer to the practice of using queer aesthetics or appearance to engage the LGBTQ+ community despite not being a part of the community or having a proper representation that positively contributes towards the same.

The practice of queerbaiting has been seen in several films and TV shows and has also been observed in some celebrities. The term reportedly came into popularity through online fandom culture around the 2010s but dates back to the 1950s when it was first used to refer to anti-LGBTQ+ hatred.

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Harry Styles' Rolling Stone interview leaves Twitter divided

Harry Styles' Rolling Stone interview led to debate on social media (Image via Getty Images)

Harry Styles’ sexuality has continued to be a popular topic of discussion among netizens. While fans have largely hailed the singer for embracing gender fluidity and vocally supporting the LGBTQ+ community, several have accused him of queerbaiting.

More recently, the One Direction alum defended the queerbaiting allegations in an interview with Rolling Stone and sparked another debate online. Following the interview, some fans took to Twitter to support the singer and denied the accusations of queerbaiting:

Meanwhile, several social media users continued to call out the pop star for alleged queerbaiting:

Harry Styles told Better Homes and Gardens earlier this year that he chose not to label himself as he felt “outdated” about the need to specify his sexuality:

“The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”

The musician also mentioned that although he has been open about his identity with friends, he has never shared it in public as he considers it a “personal experience.”