Harry Styles is Vogue’s December 2020 cover star, in which he wears a pale blue, lace-adorned, custom gown by Alessandro Michele for Gucci; is photographed by the ridiculously talented Tyler Mitchell; and is a reminder that I’ve never felt more like a dirtbag. Just kidding, it’s great! According to Entertainment Tonight, Styles is the first-ever solo male cover star in American Vogue history, so that’s cause for celebration—he looks so good, and most of the conversation centers around his love of avant-fashion, but he also shares a few whimsical lines that double as life advice (or, as VICE UK editor Emma Garland pointed out, the monologues of “a young heroine from a ’60s french novel.”) Either way, I’m enlightened now. Here’s what young Harold had to offer:
On author Alain de Botton, happiness and relationships:
“I saw him give a talk about the keys to happiness, and how one of the keys is living among friends, and how real friendship stems from being vulnerable with someone… when it comes to relationships, you just expect yourself to be good at it…[but] being in a real relationship with someone is a skill.”
On meditation:
“It has changed my life, but it’s so subtle. It’s helped me just be more present. I feel like I’m able to enjoy the things that are happening right in front of me, even if it’s food or it’s coffee or it’s being with a friend—or a swim in a really cold pond! Meditation just brings a stillness that has been really beneficial, I think, for my mental health.”
On educating himself about racial justice:
“I think it’s a time for opening up and learning and listening. I’ve been trying to read and educate myself so that in 20 years I’m still doing the right things and taking the right steps. I believe in karma, and I think it’s just a time right now where we could use a little more kindness and empathy and patience with people, be a little more prepared to listen and grow.”
On fandom:
“I’ve felt really lucky to have a group of incredibly generous fans. They’re generous emotionally—and when they come to the show, they give so much that it creates this atmosphere that I’ve always found so loving and accepting.”
I’m hydrated, I’m deep breathing, my depression has been cured. Thank you, ’Arry boy.
Read the full story here, or just look at the photographs of Styles in many skirts.