Billy Porter Reignites Vogue Cover Controversy: Accuses Anna Wintour of Favoritism and Slams Harry Styles’ Solo Feature
4 min readBilly Porter is back at it, blasting Harry Styles for being the first man to appear in a dress on a Vogue cover, resurrecting old grievances… and bringing down Anna Wintour in the process. The actor, who is gay, told the Telegraph about his displeasure with Harry being named the poster boy for genderfluid/non-binary fashion in 2020, which sparked a lot of controversy and opinions… notably some fiery ones from Billy himself. You may recall… Billy claimed he was the impetus for the recent men-in-dresses craze in Hollywood, and bemoaned the fact that HS was chosen over him. “He doesn’t care; he’s just doing it because it’s the right thing to do,” he added. For me, this is politics. This is my existence. I had to struggle all of my life to get to the palace so I could wear a gown to the Oscars without being shot.
Billy Porter calls out Anna Wintour for making Harry Styles the first solo man to cover Vogue after he had done a Q&A with her:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 12, 2023
“That b—- 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… pic.twitter.com/Z7II1Ywy9s
He only needs to be white and straight.” Following that, Billy apologised on the ‘Late Show,’ telling Stephen Colbert that he didn’t mean to tarnish Harry’s name with his views – and that the discussion was wider than just him. Now, more than two years later… BP is re-airing his concerns, and he’s asserting that Harry is, in fact, straight. Billy takes one more shot at Vogue’s EIC, stating that in the run-up to Harry’s cover issue, she contacted Billy and asked for his ideas on pushing style pioneers in the LGBTQ+ community, to which BP claims he responded… Afterwards, the bitch asked, “How can we do better?” I was caught off guard, so I didn’t say what I should have.” “Use your power as Vogue to increase the voices of the people who are leading this fashion de-gendering movement,” he advised.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 12, 2023
Billy Porter Blasts Harry Styles Vogue Cover Once Again And Calls Editor-In-Chief Of Vogue Anna Wintour A ‘Bitch’
Billy Porter criticised Harry Styles’ Vogue cover once more, despite already apologising for his first remarks, & called Anna Wintour a “bitch.” During an interview with the Telegraph published on Friday, the “Pose” alum, 53, expressed his displeasure with Vogue’s use of the “Watermelon Sugar” singer as the face of genderfluid and non-binary fashion in 2020. Porter, who is openly homosexual, said that it is not Harry Styles’ fault that he is white, cute, and straight and fits into the system this way. “I point the finger at the gatekeepers.” It is alleged by the “Cinderella” actor that the Grammy winner Harry, who has not publicly identified himself or his sexuality, was chosen by magazine editors because he is “white and straight.” “Non-binary, blah, blah, blah.” “No,” Porter went on. “It doesn’t feel right. “The people in your community are using my community to elevate you, or you are using my community to elevate them.” “You haven’t sacrificed anything.” Billy Porter stated that he spoke with Wintour, 73, about how to utilise Vogue to advance the “de-gendering of fashion movement” before Styles, 29, was granted the cover.
However, Wintour chose the “Late Night Talking” singer, making him the first guy to cover American Vogue alone. “At the end, that bitch asked me, ‘How can we do better?'” “And I was so taken aback that I didn’t say what I should have said,” Porter told the UK outlet, “Use your power as Vogue to elevate the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement.” “Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man to appear on the cover.” Porter has previously criticised Styles’ historic cover, which featured the former One Direction star clad in a Gucci gown. The Emmy winner then asserted that he was criticising Vogue rather than Styles. The following month, the “Kinky Boots” performer apologised for his words, stating that he had no ill will towards Styles. During the appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” he apologized to Styles saying he is sorry for having his name in his mouth. “This isn’t about you. The discussion is not about you. The discussion goes far deeper than that. It is about oppressive structures and the erasure of people of colour who contribute to culture.”
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