Harry Styles defends himself against queerbaiting criticism

WASHINGTON: Singer Harry Styles recently defended himself after netizens accused him of queerbaiting in the past.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Harry spoke being accused of using his sense of fashion and support for the LGBTQ community as queerbaiting, Page Six reported.

Queerbaiting is defined as a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually commit and depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation.

"Sometimes people say, 'You've only publicly been with women,' and I don't think I've publicly been with anyone," the 'Watermelon' hitmaker said.

He added, "If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn't mean you're choosing to have a public relationship or something."

The former One Direction frontman, who has notoriously kept his love life private, previously acknowledged that it felt "outdated" for him to specify his sexuality.

"I've been really open with it with my friends, but that's my personal experience; it's mine," the "As It Was" singer told Better Homes and Gardens in April. "The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter, and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

Harry has been publicly dating Olivia Wilde since January 2021 after meeting on the set of "Don't Worry Darling" - which Wilde, 38, directed and Styles stars in.