Harry Styles says he doesn't want 'credit' for being an outspoken feminist

'I think the ideals of feminism are pretty straightforward'

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Harry Styles has said that he doesn’t “want a lot of credit for being a feminist”.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, the “Sign of the Times” singer explained that he credits his feminist values to growing up alongside his mother and sister.

“When you grow up around women, your female influence is just bigger,” Styles said.

The former One Direction frontman went on to address some of the misconceptions surrounding feminism and gender equality.

“I think ultimately feminism is thinking that men and women should be equal, right? People think that if you say ‘I’m a feminist,’ it means you think men should burn in hell and women should trample on their necks.

“No, you think women should be equal. That doesn’t feel like a crazy thing to me.”

Styles went on to say that “of course men and women should be equal”, describing gender equality as “pretty simple”.

“I think the ideals of feminism are pretty straightforward,” the 25-year-old concluded.

It’s not the first time Styles has expressed his feminist views.

In 2017, the singer was praised by fans for wearing a T-shirt that bore the slogan “Women are smarter” and in 2014 he posed with a #HeForShe poster in support of the UN Women campaign for gender equality led by actor Emma Watson.

Elsewhere in the Rolling Stones interview, Styles opened up about masculinity and revealed he feels "pretty lucky to have a group of friends who are guys who would talk about their emotions and be really open".

The singer continued: “My friend’s dad said to me, ‘You guys are so much better at it than we are. I never had friends I could really talk to. It’s good that you guys have each other because you talk about real shit. We just didn’t.’”