As of late, Harry Styles has become linked to yet another fictional romantic novel where explicit sex scenes captivate readers between the pages. The latest Amazon original film, The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Glatizine, was originally penned by Robinne Lee. Though Lee didn’t explicitly state that Styles was her sole inspiration, she hinted at it in her remarks back in 2017:
“A few years ago, my husband was away on business, and I found myself up late surfing music videos on YouTube. Suddenly, I stumbled upon the face of a boy I’d never seen in a band I’d never paid attention to, and it was so aesthetically perfect it took me by surprise. It was like…art.”
I spent a good hour or so Googling, trying to figure out who this kid was, and in doing so, I discovered that he often dated older women, and so the seed was planted.
When my husband returned a couple of days later, I joked with him that I’d found the perfect guy and I was leaving him and our two kids, “oh, and by the way, he’s half my age.’ My husband laughed, and then a moment later said, “You know, that would make a great book.’”
Harry Styles Inspired a Wattpad Fanfic in 2013
Enter Hayes Campbell, the hot commodity singer from August Moon, engaging in a romantic tryst with the protagonist, Solène Marchand. Many readers, and now viewers of the film, have noted the parallels between Hayes and Harry, especially in their relationships with older partners. Ironically, Styles’s longest relationship was with director and actress Olivia Wilde, featuring a similar age gap with the British songwriter.
This wouldn’t be the first time Styles has served as inspiration. Anna Todd’s After four-book series birthed six films, with the main lead notably named with the same initials, H.S.—Hardin Scott. Originally a fanfiction on Wattpad, Todd altered the character from Harry Styles and reworked it into a respected book. Though Styles and Hardin share similar facial descriptions and tattoos, their personalities differ greatly. Hardin Scott is portrayed as a rude British college frat guy with a dark past.
What’s So Special About Harry Styles?
This raises the question: why does this particular singer captivate so many writers? This extends beyond professionally published novels. Platforms like Wattpad host fanfictions brimming with sexually explicit content. The most plausible explanation? Harry Styles isn’t just objectively attractive; it’s his attitude towards fans, his cheekiness with the press, the veil of mystery he wraps himself in, and his ability to command a stadium that inspire people to explore their creative side. Instead of penning fanmail, they craft stories because his life is a narrative in itself. Fans and those who admire him can’t help but imagine what his life might be like—or could be like.
At the peak of his career, Styles was arguably in one of the biggest boy bands, exposing him to a global audience that seized upon his facial features, his smile, and his charisma. The stories created may simply be a form of flattery, but ultimately, these authors are merely inspired. Considering art as a painting on a wall, anyone can interpret it in their own way, and that’s precisely how these writers fashioned their version of him in their respective books.