After almost six years in One Direction, Harry Styles will be well-accustomed to having his every move documented by fans desperately hoping to get a selfie with the singer. Unfortunately, this goal means boundaries are repeatedly crossed - even during private family events.
Styles's sister Gemma has criticised the lack of respect shown by those obsessing over selfies after she says her brother was asked to pose for a picture at a family funeral.
Gemma, a writer and columnist for The Debrief, said Styles was apparently accosted by a distant relative while mourning the death of his grandmother Beryl, who died after a long illness in 2014.
The 23-year-old has written a number of essays on social media and the problematic ways it has changed attitudes and behaviour. In her latest column, Gemma highlighted how extreme the obsession with selfies has become after a passenger being held on an EgyptAir flight posed for a selfie with the hijacker.
In an example of another inappropriate situation to ask for a selfie, Gemma recalled how someone attending her grandmother’s funeral had asked Styles for a picture.
“My most frustrating personal experience of this was the ‘friend’/distant relative at my grandma’s funeral who was trying to bring in her granddaughter or niece or someone to have a picture with my brother." she wrote. "At a funeral. Our grandmother’s funeral. ‘Smh’ doesn’t really cover it.”
