What You Didn't Know About Harry Styles' Sister Gemma
Former One Direction crooner Harry Styles may have millions of adoring fans around the world, however, even he can feel lonely. For instance, when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, the "Sign of the Times" singer found himself far away from those he loves.
"You see, I kind of got stuck here in California. I was supposed to board a flight home, but on that exact day, the US decided to cancel all flights, so I just had to stay here," he told Roman Kemp on Capital Breakfast (via The Mirror). The singer was about to embark on a world tour set to kick off in Dublin, Ireland, but his concert dates had to be pushed back to a time when people could safely travel and get together in large groups again. But beyond having to delay his tour, Styles had also been about to reunite with a few particular people, which sadly had to be put off as well.
"I was really looking forward to coming home and spending some time with my mum and sister, and my family," he said. While Styles admitted that staying where he was at the time was "for the best," he was perhaps cheered up by the fact that he was able to enjoy something very special with his sister, Gemma Styles, even if it likely was from afar. In fact, she was involved in one of the biggest milestones of his career — something that had never happened before.
Gemma Styles helped her brother Harry Styles make history
Harry Styles made history in November 2020 when he became the first man to grace the cover of Vogue as an individual. "If you take a look at the spread you can see why," Refinery29 wrote of the crooner. Indeed, Styles is known for having a sense of style that breaks down gender barriers and is often seen wearing dress pants and pearls or boots and ruffles. Refinery29 also commented on Styles' "daring and playful relationship with fashion," writing that it "is one that will likely serve as an inspiration for generations to come."
For such an iconic accomplishment, Styles made sure he wasn't alone. As seen on his sister, Gemma Styles', Instagram, the "As It Was" singer brought her to the photo shoot. Along with providing what most likely was support and some fashion advice, Gemma also posed in one of the photos for the publication, sitting next to her brother.
"Vogue December 2020 @harrystyles," Gemma began her caption of her and Harry's picture together, in addition to a capture of his Vogue cover. "The first man to appear solo on the cover of American Vogue. So proud of who you are. Thanks for asking me [heart emojis]," she added, clearly pleased with her brother's historic accomplishment.
She's a writer and designer who launched her own podcast
Not just Harry Styles' sister, Gemma Styles is a creative professional in her own right. She is a writer who has penned words for publications such as Teen Vogue, Glamour, and Refinery29, according to her website. In the mid-2010s, she became the executive editor for La Femme Collection, a site that was dedicated to lifting other women up. "We launched pretty recently and already we've featured women from various backgrounds doing a wide variety of jobs, running their own businesses and facing their own challenges," she told Nobody's Child. "My favorite part about the stories is hearing the un-glamorous parts — late nights and balancing your life — that make a reader more able to appreciate these women as people and not mythical success creatures."
And like her brother, she's dipped her toe into the fashion industry, designing a line of sunglass and eyeglass frames in a collaboration with Baxter & Bonny.
She even has her own podcast called Good Influence. The podcast, which launched in 2020, aims to help listeners "learn more about climate change, therapy, food waste, sustainable fashion, mental health, and so much more." While it doesn't appear as if Harry has been a guest yet, we have to wonder if it's only a matter of time before he sits down for a chat with his super-close sibling.
Gemma Styles is three years older than Harry Styles
The world knows Harry Styles as the most successful artist to come out of one of the biggest boybands in the world, but to Gemma Styles, he's just her little brother. In 2018, Gemma wrote a piece for Another Man that detailed what it was like growing up alongside the singer. "It's a strange experience having your baby brother run off and become a pop star," Gemma penned. She went on to reminisce about her brother's personality throughout his childhood. "He was very loud," Gemma dished. "I think the first time I got in serious trouble was when I pushed him off a chair because he just wouldn't stop crying."
The podcaster shared a hilarious story that revealed even celebrity siblings have their moments of conflict. "Then there was the time Harry actually tried to get me in trouble, when I told him WWF wrestling was all staged — he took it as a personal insult and as revenge told Mum that I was the worst thing he could think of ... a drug dealer," Gemma wrote.
Like many older siblings, it appears as though Gemma still enjoys joking around with her brother, because she shared a funny photo in honor of his 28th birthday. In the post, an edited version of a photo from the siblings' Vogue shoot features Thanos seated next to Harry. You may recall that the former One Direction member was cast as Thanos' brother in Marvel's "Eternals."
She's in a long-term relationship
Gemma Styles has let fans into her typically low-key private life over the years by posting the occasional selfie with her long-term boyfriend, Michal Mlynowsk. In June 2021, Styles took to Instagram to announce she and Mlynowsk were celebrating six years together. "I know everyone says bestie a lot now but @michalmlynowski is truly best pal material," she wrote in the caption of the post. "(Excuse this hideous PDA, 6 years together)," she added.
According to a LinkedIn account that seemingly belongs to Mlynowsk, he currently works as a business analyst. He doesn't appear to be afraid to show his love for Styles on his own Instagram account, either, which features many photos of the two.
Fans may recall that Styles was previously linked to 5 Seconds of Summer bandmember Aston Irwin. Dating rumors emerged when the two were frequently spotted together when Irwin's band joined One Direction on tour in 2014. Despite the duo's apparent closeness, Irwin insisted Styles was just a friend. "We do hang out. Gemma's been on tour with 1D so she really does get it. She's cool to hang around with," the drummer once told The Mirror (via Press Party).
The blogger earned a First Class Honors Degree
Although Harry Styles is the sibling who gets all the praise, Gemma Styles has done quite well for herself. The writer received a First Class Honors Degree from Sheffield Hallam University and also holds a Qualified Teacher Status in Genetics.
Gemma's graduation made headlines because her superstar brother cheered her on from the audience. Harry can also be seen in his sister's graduation photos. Gemma's university reposted the pics in a tweet that recognized the recent graduate. The post read: "Congratulations to @GemmaAnneStyles on her degree and a warm Sheffield welcome to her brother @Harry_Styles too!" Harry also shared a post to Instagram in honor of his sister's accomplishment. "My Sister graduated today. She's all clever and that," he wrote in the caption.
While Gemma doesn't seem to be using her Qualified Teacher Status at the moment, she first decided she wanted to be a teacher as a youngster. The podcast host wrote about those childhood dreams in her piece for Another Man. "From a young age, I had dreams of being a teacher and Harry would pretend to be my only pupil, dutifully filling out my homemade worksheets and answering all of the names on the register with different voices," Gemma revealed.
She's all for girl crushes
Gemma Styles once shared that she wants to redefine what it means to have a "girl crush." In a piece she wrote for Nobody's Child, Styles explained that we often look up to women who appear to be perfect, according to society's standards. "Considering the vast spectrums of the internet, a huge portion of the people we see online are, in a lot of ways, the same; young, skinny, white women," the activist shared. "These people are individuals — and there's nothing wrong with who they are — but the social saturation of this 'perfect' girl means that most of us rarely see pictures of people we can relate to, or see ourselves in."
So, if Styles doesn't idolize these "perfect" women, who does she look up to? As she puts it herself: "For me, a girl crush doesn't have to be someone 'perfect': women are real, and flawed, and incredible — those I aspire to be like are the people who accept themselves, have talents and are unapologetic about who they are. (It's pretty hard to do.)" This outlook is perhaps what motivated Styles to begin working with La Femme Collection.
As previously mentioned, the website, which seems to have been shut down, focused on women empowerment. Although La Femme Collection seems to be a thing of the past, Styles still appears to be passionate about women's rights, because she hosted a podcast episode in 2021 that focused on women with disabilities.
Gemma Styles is an MQ Ambassador
If you follow Gemma Styles on social media, you probably know that she often speaks out about mental health. What you may not know is that the activist influencer became an MQ Ambassador in 2021.
MQ: Transforming Mental Health is a charity that conducts mental health research at an international level. Styles seemed to be incredibly proud of her new title, because she told the organization: "As well as gaining insight into the best ways to help people struggling with mental health conditions, research is vital in understanding how they begin and can be prevented in the future. ... I'm honoured to be an ambassador for MQ and hope to help them in their work however I can." She also explained that her own mental health struggles motivated her to join the charity's cause.
Styles went on to raise money for MQ through her Don't Stop Find the Light sunglasses collection. She talked about her passion for mental heath research in a promotional post for the eyewear on her website. "'Don't stop thinking about tomorrow, don't stop, it'll soon be here.' 10% of proceeds from the Find The Light special edition pair will be donated to mental health research, a cause which is close to my heart," the advocate wrote. "As much as we need intervention and support for people with mental health issues, we also need to understand why these issues happen in order to treat them most effectively and eventually prevent them."