Now you can't really blame the boys themselves for how awful their covers for British GQ magazine's September issue look, but you'd have thought someone at Simon Cowell's label or at GQ would have looked over the shoot before it was given the green light to print?
If the brief to wash out their faces and make them look as blank, robotic and emotionless as possible, then by all means congratulations are in order, but somehow we doubt that was the case. Niall Horan looks like a serial killer for God's sake.
Now apparently the man who took the snaps is 'world-renowned photographer Platon', but honestly, the only one who comes out of this shoot looking anyway decent is Zayn. Everyone else just looks ridiculous, even if people are throwing the 'fashion' excuse out there.
Some of the notable quotables from the interview that GQ have leaked ahead of the issue's release on Thursday include Niall's admission of having the hots for Ellie Goulding, as well as their feelings on groupies (that we don't believe at all).
'We go back on the road straight after a show and we're gone. I wish we did have time for girls and parties but we don't.'
'I'll say one thing: Ellie Goulding - wow. She's absolutely amazing looking.'
Harry also answered the long-standing rumours about his relationship with Nick Grimshaw, which he denies having any knowledge of in the slightest, saying 'What rumours would they be?' and when GQ tell him that it that they're 'an item' he says 'Oh, really? I didn't even know. We're not dating, no. We're just friends.'
Harry then has to answer up about his rumoured bisexuality saying 'Bisexual? Me? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I'm not.' before talking about rumours about him in general.
'Some of them are funny. Some of them are ridiculous. Some of them are annoying. I don't want to be one of those people that complains about the rumours. I never like it when a celebrity goes on Twitter and says, 'This isn't true!' It is what it is; I tend not to do that. The only time it gets really annoying is that if you get into a relationship and you get into a place where you really like someone and then things are being written in the papers that affect them and how they see you. Then it can get annoying'