Is Benson Boone Reheating Harry Styles' Nachos?: No, Harry Didn’t Invent Being Flashy Nor Was it Mercury or Even Bowie

According to the Internet Benson Boone is reheating Harry’s nachos? Who reheats fucking nachos?

Grammys discourse is something Harry Styles fans (Harries) like myself are quite familiar with. Ask any of us about the social media discourse after his 2023 record of the year win over Beyoncé’s Renaissance and you’ll cause a trigger similar to a soldier from war hearing firecrackers.

This year though us Harries felt relieved. Our boy wasn’t nominated nor did he even attend the show so we thought that night we could sit back and enjoy. It was after Benson Boone’s performance though that Harry’s name started to be brought up as people started to compare the jumpsuit Boone wore during his Grammys performance to things that Harry has worn in the past.

The one tweet in particular that caused the most discourse was one where the person mentioned how Boone’s jumpsuit wasn’t a reference to Harry specifically as Harry didn’t invent this style.

I agree wholeheartedly with the statement Harry didn’t invent this flashy style for male artists but I also think that what Harry’s done with fashion, especially with onstage costuming, in just the past couple years can’t be understated. During just one tour he was able to bring back something that was immensely popular fifty years ago. The focus I want to put on the tweet though showcases a problem that’s quite common in not only pop spaces but the Harry fandom in general.

The amount of people who mention Bowie or Mercury when it comes to Harry’s influences are quite common. To be honest though you rarely if ever hear Harries mention the Black artists who have had just as much of an influence over not only his sound (especially his last record) but his overall fashion aesthetic as well. I’ve yet to hear the names of the original flashy rock stars. James Brown, Little Richard, Prince! And I’m not downplaying Bowie or Mercury’s influence as it’s quite obvious those two artists have had an influence over him as well.

But how can we not look back at some of James Brown and Little Richard’s outfits from the 70’s and not see a direct correlation to outfits Harry’s worn in the past couple years?

So yes we know Harry Styles didn’t invent this style but he has brought back something that his iconic music predecessors popularized. A flashy sex machine rock star who makes fans scream in ecstasy.