Zayn Malik Dishes on One Direction’s Management

Zayn Malik, whom separated from One Direction nearly a year ago, is finally giving the dirt on his former management.

In an interview with Complex Mag, Zayn reveals that he “wasn’t allowed to keep” his beard because he “looked older than the rest of them.” Their management essentially tried to slow down time to make One Direction appeal to a young, female demographic for as long as possible.

Yet, as the Billboard charts demonstrate, Zayn’s new image and sound is working quite well for him. He is, thusfar, successful as a solo artist and feels as though he can live without "denying the authenticity of who [he] was."

Perhaps instead of forcing “boy bands” to act as young as they can for as long as they can, they should be able to grow naturally as a group. With this new information, one cannot help but wonder what other aspects of One Direction’s lives have been carefully controlled to ship to a mass-audience.