As the release date of World War II film Dunkirk—featuring the acting debut of former One Direction member Harry Styles—approaches, mixed feelings continue swirling around minds. While the majority of Harry’s fans are eager to see the movie, there are fans and non-fans alike who are concerned about his appearance. After all, they might be thinking, “he is an ex-boyband member, with millions of young fans right? So how much could they actually know or care about the history behind the real event? Worse yet, what if they start screaming and being disrespectful in the theater when Harry appears onscreen?”
Despite the fact that most of the One Direction fandom is now 16-20, some being even older, this mindset still stereotypes us as immature little girls who live and breathe everything 1D related. This stereotype also feeds off the assumption we cannot have any other interests outside of One Direction, which is ridiculous. Just because we happen to like a band and happen to find the members attractive, doesn’t mean we don’t care about anything else. I, for one, have enjoyed studying the history of World War II since 7th grade. And yes, I also happen to like One Direction. Shocking, I know.
I can understand the concern about people fangirling when Harry appears onscreen. Not only is it rude and annoying to others in the audience, but it’s also disrespectful to the history behind one of the worst battles to occur. I hope this seldom happens. However, I am confident enough that most of Harry’s fans are old enough and mature enough to know better. It will likely be a select few fans who can’t control themselves.
With that said, I would like to send a brief reminder to those attending who may not know much about this particular topic. For the reasons above, please don’t scream the whole time (if any veterans attend the movie, you could also trigger PTSD in someone). It’s also a good idea to brush up on research of the Battle of Dunkirk before watching the film, so you know more about what really happened. I’ll give you a head start.
Enjoying both the history of World War II and One Direction’s music, I look forward to seeing Harry in this film. With positive reviews from film critics already rolling in , I’m sure this film and his performance will be excellent.
