Billy Porter slams Vogue over Harry Styles cover
Oct 19, 2021
Washington [US], October 19 : American actor and singer Billy Porter has slammed Vogue for featuring Harry Styles on their cover. The 'Cinderella' star said that Styles wore a dress 'because it's the thing to do'.
In December 2020, Styles became the fashion publication's first male cover model and made waves for wearing a dress in his shoot. As per Fox News, the cover drew both praise and criticism, and now, Porter has joined those expressing irritation with the spread.
"I changed the whole game," Porter, who is known for wearing dresses on the red carpet and even in movies, told a news outlet recently, adding, "And that is not ego, that is just fact. I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it."
The actor himself has made headlines for donning gowns while attending the Oscars, the Met Gala, and in Amazon Prime's 'Cinderella'. Porter said that he feels the fashion industry-accepted him "because they have to."
"I'm not necessarily convinced, and here is why: I created the conversation, and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time," explained Porter.
The Emmy winner insisted that he was not "dragging" Styles, but was instead upset with Vogue, questioning whether the 27-year-old singer "is the one you're going to try and use to represent this new conversation."
"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," Porter insisted.
He continued, "I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars and not be gunned down. All he has to do is be white and straight."
Earlier this year, Porter had revealed that he was diagnosed with HIV in 2007. He told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2021 that he used his 'Pose' character Pray Tell, who is also HIV-positive, to express himself.
Porter later went on to win an Emmy for his work on 'Pose' and has been nominated for two more.
