Award-winning chef Graham Herterich on his life in food
Award-winning chef Graham Herterich on his life in food

Sarah Gill

Real Weddings: Heidy and Bryan’s beautiful country house wedding in Co Wexford
Real Weddings: Heidy and Bryan’s beautiful country house wedding in Co Wexford

Shayna Sappington

Page Turners: ‘The Inheritance’ author Cauvery Madhavan
Page Turners: ‘The Inheritance’ author Cauvery Madhavan

Sarah Gill

My Life in Culture: Artist Michele Hetherington
My Life in Culture: Artist Michele Hetherington

Sarah Finnan

I’m single and I’m thinking about kids, what are my options?
I’m single and I’m thinking about kids, what are my options?

Lauren Heskin

5 golden rules of home décor from an Irish interior designer
5 golden rules of home décor from an Irish interior designer

IMAGE

Ask the Doctor: ‘What does the procedure to rectify an undescended testicle involve?’
Ask the Doctor: ‘What does the procedure to rectify an undescended testicle involve?’

Sarah Gill

Small Things Like These: A necessary reminder of Ireland’s shameful past 
Small Things Like These: A necessary reminder of Ireland’s shameful past 

Sarah Finnan

House Tour: A former artist’s studio turned into a Clontarf home
House Tour: A former artist’s studio turned into a Clontarf home

Megan Burns

If I knew then what I know now: Busting business myths with Debbie Byrne, MD of An Post
If I knew then what I know now: Busting business myths with Debbie Byrne, MD...

Leonie Corcoran

Image / Living / Culture

Harry Styles doesn’t think you should text him either


By Sarah Finnan
27th Sep 2021

Harry Styles / Instagram

Harry Styles doesn’t think you should text him either

Harry Styles shared some dating advice with fans at a recent concert and he doesn't think you should text him either.

Love is a battlefield. We sang along to the popular Pat Benatar song long before we knew it was true. We may have attributed the statement to Jenna Rink in *that* 13 Going on 30 scene, but it was wisdom beyond our years regardless of where we learnt it.

Years later, Jordin Sparks reminded us of the same thing. “Don’t try to explain your mind,” she crooned. She knew what was happening here. “One minute it’s love, and suddenly it’s like a battlefield.” She never meant to start a war though. 

Navigating the murky world of romantic pursuits is a tricky business for anyone these days. Try doing so alone, without the help of close friends, family and favourite singers, and you’re liable to fall at the first hurdle. We’ve all sent a screenshot of a seemingly offhand comment into the group chat for a second opinion. If you haven’t tried to dissect the meaning behind every emoji, GIF and grammatical choice then you’re either lying or are just far better at modern dating than I. 

That said, if there’s one person whose opinion we* (read, *I) value above all others, it’s that of Harry Styles. Clearly not alone in asking myself “what would Harry Styles do?” on the regular, one fan recently got an answer directly from the horse’s mouth. 

Currently travelling across the US as part of his Love on Tour show, the singer’s latest concert saw him stop off at Saint Paul in Minnesota. Welcoming 18,000 fans inside the Xcel Energy Centre for the gig, Harry spotted one fan sign that caught his attention. “Should I text him?”, it asked. First putting the question to the audience, they were quick to respond and it was a unanimous “no” across the board. 

https://twitter.com/alliefriese/status/1440891509507772417

Considering what he would do in such a situation, Harry then gave his own thoughtful response. “In my opinion, if you should [text him], then this isn’t even a question,” he began. “If we’re wondering, ‘Should I text him? Should I not text him? I can’t text him too soon. Now we’re thinking about double texting, and that’s a whole different risky business. Now he’s thumbs’ed it, so technically he’s the last one to do something’… It’s a whole thing,” he continued.  

“My personal opinion is that if there’s any sort of games, trash, trash, trash, not for you.” Mic. Drop. 

Delighting the crowd with his insight, the former One Directioner’s sage advice also gave a subtle nod to the movie The Notebook – of which we can only assume he’s a fan. Quoting a scene from the cult classic romance drama, Harry referenced a line Mrs Hamilton said to her daughter Allie when fighting about her relationship with Noah Calhoun. First telling her that Noah is “a nice boy”, Allie’s mother quickly drops the facade and admits her true opinion of him, saying that he is “trash, trash, trash. Not for you.” 

Allie may not have necessarily listened to what her parents had to say, but Harry Styles disapproving is another thing… what he says goes and if he tells you not to text him, you absolutely listen. 

A clip of the interaction, posted online after the concert was over, has since gone viral and,  unsurprisingly, the internet is very much in favour of his approach. In fact, one fan discovered that it’s not the first time he’s referenced The Notebook before either. 

https://twitter.com/solarpowerhs/status/1441042596080455690

https://twitter.com/xorainbowlouis/status/1440873191795163143

Harry Styles, The Notebook and some pretty spot-on dating advice; the trifecta.

Feature image via @harrystyles