Harry Styles has been my favorite person in the world since I was in the seventh grade, and I'm now finishing my freshman year of college. In other words, I've loved him for a long time. Ever since I used to watch the UK X Factor on Youtube and saw One Direction's performances, I knew he had something special.

He has the voice, the charm, and the star quality, but there was something else about him. The way he carried himself and treated other people said a lot about who he was as a person, considering he was only a young curly-headed teenager at the time. Now that he's gone solo, I've felt a wave of emotions. But most importantly, I'm so incredibly proud of him. He was made to be on stage and to share his talent and presence with the world. He really is the teen icon of my generation, and here's why.

1. His Personality

While everything about Harry is extremely unique, his personality is his best trait. He's the kind of person who used to climb fences to shake all the security guards' and workers' hands at 1D shows, and ask that his stage be lowered so he could be "surrounded by his fans." He treats everyone with the utmost respect, no matter who they are. And he treats his fans like friends. His outlook on life makes me want to strive to always be a better and more positive person everyday, and to always see the glass half-full.

He wants to have an emotional connection with everyone who believes in him, which is why he makes it a mission to make eye contact with everyone during a show and why he tries his hardest to talk to everyone he meets instead of breezing through a meet and greet. Harry has the brightest spirit and can naturally cheer anyone up just by being himself. Anyone whose met him, including myself, always say that he was the most respectful and kindest person they've ever met. In a world full of hatred, we need more people like Harry Styles, and I'm glad that people like me have him to look up to.

2. He's never changed.

Even with the insane amount of fame that now follows Harry, he's never changed and he's still grounded. He goes back to his hometown and the bakery he used to work at frequently, and he's never let the fame get to his head. He treats everyone as if they were just as famous and he is and views at as "we're all just people." He's the kind of person who donates all of his hair to a charity. And he does whatever he can to help whoever he can. However, most people immediately think of "the boy who Taylor Swift wrote a song about" or "just another member of a boy band" when they hear his name. He's so much more than that.

3. He supports important causes and accepts everyone for who they are.

There is no one more accepting of people than Harry Styles. While people always speculate his sexuality, he's always pictured running around with pride flags. He's spoken up many times about his belief in gay rights, like when answering that it "wasn't that important" if his partner was a female during an interview. He's also been one to speak out for women's rights, like the campaign He For She. And it is also common for him to interrupt interviewers who are saying anything that "objectify women.

The main reason that most people say Harry is an icon is because of his unique sense of fashion. Known to wear mostly women's clothes and colorful outfits, he breaks barriers. His style being so unique and different makes him an icon even more. Especially considering he's one of the only people that could pull some of these outfit choices off. And boy, he definetly does.

While these are only a few of the hundred reasons why Harry really an icon, they say a lot. He's about to take the world by storm and I'm so excited that I've gotten to watch him get to this point. His album is one of the most amazing albums I've heard, but I wouldn't expect anything less than that from him. And just watch out, in 20 years, girls will be saying "I wish I was alive to witness young Harry Styles", just like girls nowadays say about Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. I can't wait to see how much more of an impact Harry will make on the world in the future.