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If you know me at all, then you know that I am a massive One Direction fan. I have quite the love for those five boys and am rather invested in their career. It is with a huge weight in my stomach that I acknowledge that Zayn Malik has left One Direction. Last week, Zayn signed off of a few shows due to "stress," and just yesterday, their PR team made a statement on behalf of One Direction.

One Direction has worked non-stop for the past five years. From the day that they began they X-Factor Live Shows, they have been working. Every November they release an album and begin a tour in the following February. They constantly are involved in PR stunts (Don't tell me you believed that Harry Styles dated Taylor Swift because he liked her) and being flown all over the world. In my opinion, it is completely their team's fault that Zayn was driven to leave One Direction.

Zayn wrote in their statement that he has "to do what feels right in [his] heart." You cannot fault Zayn at all. His mental health has definitely suffered over these past few years, especially due to the constant harassment that he receives on Twitter due to his religion -- calling him a "terrorist" and encouraging young girls to believe what he does. Last year, a video was released of Louis Tomlinson, another member of One Direction, and Zayn smoking marijuana and talking about other drugs while in South America. This video and their substance use got mainly pinned on Zayn. One has to understand that this sort of blame and harassment plays a heavy part into Zayn's departure. 

Zayn cited his mental health and privacy as reasons to leave the band and most fans have been very supportive of his move. While they will miss Zayn, they look forward to seeing where One Direction heads to next. We will all miss Zayn's beautiful riffs on the album (and his gorgeous face on the stage), but we wish him the best.

catch you later,

Karleigh

“Life is funny. Things change, people change, but you will always be you, so stay true to yourself and never sacrifice who you are for anyone.”// Zayn Malik