Billy Porter still has a bone to pick with Harry Styles and Anna Wintour for that Vogue cover!
For those who don’t recall, the 29-year-old singer became the first man to grace the cover of the fashion magazine by himself back in December 2020. Harry could be seen on the glossy donning a stunning dress from Gucci. Ch-ch-check it out (below):
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Related: Billy Claims He Has To Sell His House Because Of SAG Strike
While the cover shot received rave reviews from the public, it did not sit well with Billy — at all. Months after the magazine hit the stands, the 53-year-old actor slammed Vogue for having “a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time.” He told The Sunday Times:
“I changed the whole game. And that is not ego, that is just fact. I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it. I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me 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. I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but he 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.”
For Billy, gender-fluid fashion goes way beyond the red carpet:
“This is politics for me. This is my life. 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.”
After these comments, the Pose alum later apologized on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for mentioning Harry in a conversation that was not about him but the “systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture.” Two years later, though, Billy is slamming the cover once again.
During an interview with The Telegraph on Friday, the Broadway star opened up about why he dragged Vogue for having Harry on the cover – and he did not hold back! He explained to the outlet:
“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.”
Billy then claimed the Don’t Worry Darling actor got the cover because he’s “white and he’s straight,” adding:
“Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. 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.”
It’s important to note that Harry has yet to publicly label himself or his sexuality. And Billy seems to be echoing the long-standing claims that Harry has been queerbaiting throughout his career. As you can imagine, there was some mixed reactions on the internet about him going after the hitmaker over the weekend.
However, Billy noted it is not Harry’s fault. So he also had some thoughts for the reigning editor-in-chief! He recalled to the outlet that Anna approached him and asked for his advice on how to use Vogue as a platform for the “de-gendering of fashion movement” months before Harry’s cover. However, she ended up booking the As It Was artist for the project:
“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. Use your power as Vogue to uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement. Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover.”
Oof. Miss. Wintour won’t be too happy about Billy’s comments…
At this time, neither Harry nor Anna have addressed his continued remarks about the cover. What are your thoughts on the matter, Perezcious readers? Do you agree with Billy? Let us know int he comments below.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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