Recently, Harry Styles of One Direction fame sent tween girls – and the Twittersphere at large – into a tizzy with just one poorly-judged click. Apparently unaware of how exactly the social media site works, the mop-topped boy-bander “favorited” an extremely explicit tweet that was posted by an internet porn star. Eagle-eyed fans immediately noticed the new favorite during their daily Styles-stalking sessions (though in their defense, Harry had only filed nine other tweets as his favorites previously). The incredibly hilarious hashtag #HarryDontLickAnything was born as a result of the tweet’s graphic image and accompanying request.

In response to the Twitter kerfuffle, Harry… well, Harry didn’t do much of anything. He un-favorited the tweet, began favoriting pictures of puppies and kittens, and finally broke his silence with a cheeky, “Sooooo… The weather?” Meanwhile, celebrity gossip sites jumped on the scandal, wondering why Mr. Styles hadn’t issued any sort of public apology for his naughty internet behavior.

Sure, it was kind of a bonehead move for a public figure and role model to make, but does his personal appreciation for a risqué tweet really merit the need for an apology? It’s obviously a much, much more extreme case, but the Tiger Woods mistress madness a few years ago comes to mind. Tiger certainly had some ‘splainin’ (and groveling) to do to try and win back his wife Elin’s trust, and a heartfelt speech to the world at large did help to boost his public image and appease some of his sponsors. However, to say that we were all expecting him to tell US that he was sorry is a little silly.

When it comes to morality, Woods’ actions are pretty despicable, no matter how you look at it. But why should someone express their regret about something they did for their own personal, private enjoyment to complete strangers? It’s true that when you’re a celebrity, there’s not much that’s hidden. This is part and parcel to the job, but it doesn’t mean that you owe a bunch of random, gawking folks a statement about anything you choose to do.

I personally hope that Harry Styles doesn’t let a little embarrassment discourage him from acting like any other 20 year-old boy, and maybe even favoriting a few more questionable tweets. After all, a good celebrity scandal is part of what makes this great world go ‘round. –Kim Windyka