diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index c20697c..cf92480 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
 
+S3method("$<-",marquee_style)
+S3method("[",marquee_skip_inherit)
+S3method("[<-",marquee_style)
+S3method("[[",marquee_skip_inherit)
+S3method("[[<-",marquee_style)
 S3method(format,marquee_em)
 S3method(format,marquee_relative)
 S3method(format,marquee_rem)
diff --git a/R/geom_marquee.R b/R/geom_marquee.R
index fc4ab9e..7d31621 100644
--- a/R/geom_marquee.R
+++ b/R/geom_marquee.R
@@ -126,16 +126,18 @@ make_marquee_geom <- function() {
           !all(vapply(data$fill, function(x) is.character(x) || inherits(x, "GridPattern"), logical(1)))) {
         stop_input_type(data$fill, "a character vector or a list of strings and patters", arg = "fill")
       }
-      for (i in seq_along(styles)) {
-        styles[[i]]$base$family <- data$family[[i]]
-        styles[[i]]$base$size <- size[[i]]
-        styles[[i]]$base$lineheight <- data$lineheight[[i]]
-        styles[[i]]$base$color <- colour[[i]]
-        if (!"body" %in% names(styles[[i]])) {
-          styles[[i]]$body <- style()
-        }
-        styles[[i]]$body$background <- skip_inherit(data$fill[[i]])
-      }
+
+      styles <- modify_style(styles,
+        "base",
+        family = data$family,
+        size = size,
+        lineheight = data$lineheight,
+        color = colour
+      )
+      styles <- modify_style(styles,
+        "body",
+        background = skip_inherit(data$fill)
+      )
 
       data <- coord$transform(data, panel_params)
 
diff --git a/R/style.R b/R/style.R
index d513a70..87305df 100644
--- a/R/style.R
+++ b/R/style.R
@@ -207,6 +207,21 @@ str.marquee_style <- function(object, ...) {
   return(invisible(NULL))
 }
 
+#' @export
+`$<-.marquee_style` <- function(x, name, value) {
+  cli::cli_abort("Setting style values using {.arg $}, {.arg []}, or {.arg [[]]} are not permitted. Please use {.fun modify_style}")
+}
+
+#' @export
+`[[<-.marquee_style` <- function(x, ..., value) {
+  cli::cli_abort("Setting style values using {.arg $}, {.arg []}, or {.arg [[]]} are not permitted. Please use {.fun modify_style}")
+}
+
+#' @export
+`[<-.marquee_style` <- function(x, ..., value) {
+  cli::cli_abort("Setting style values using {.arg $}, {.arg []}, or {.arg [[]]} are not permitted. Please use {.fun modify_style}")
+}
+
 #' @rdname style
 #' @export
 base_style <- function(family = "", weight = "normal", italic = FALSE,
diff --git a/R/style_helpers.R b/R/style_helpers.R
index b9f5d56..0c3a552 100644
--- a/R/style_helpers.R
+++ b/R/style_helpers.R
@@ -126,6 +126,16 @@ format.marquee_skip_inherit <- function(x, ...) {
   paste0(str, " (no inheritance)")
 }
 
+#' @export
+`[[.marquee_skip_inherit` <- function(x, ..., value) {
+  skip_inherit(NextMethod())
+}
+
+#' @export
+`[.marquee_skip_inherit` <- function(x, ..., value) {
+  skip_inherit(NextMethod())
+}
+
 #' @export
 print.marquee_skip_inherit <- print.marquee_relative
 
diff --git a/R/style_set.R b/R/style_set.R
index 20d9eb3..2e1795c 100644
--- a/R/style_set.R
+++ b/R/style_set.R
@@ -10,10 +10,11 @@
 #' @param ... Named arguments providing a style for the specific tags. For
 #' `modify_style()` a number of style options to change. If the first argument
 #' is a marquee style it will overwrite the tag and subsequent arguments are
-#' ignored
-#' @param style_set A style set to modify
-#' @param tag The name of a tag to modify or remove. Tags are internally all
-#' lowercase and `tag` will be converted to lowercase before matching
+#' ignored. This only holds if `x` is a style set.
+#' @param x A style or style set to modify
+#' @param tag The name of the tag to modify or remove if `x` is a style set. Tags
+#' are internally all lowercase and `tag` will be converted to lowercase before
+#' matching
 #'
 #' @return A `marquee_style_set` object
 #'
@@ -71,67 +72,80 @@ format.marquee_style_set <- function(x, ...) {
 
 #' @rdname style_set
 #' @export
-modify_style <- function(style_set, tag, ...) {
+modify_style <- function(x, tag, ...) {
+  opts <- list2(...)
+  args <- names(opts)
+  expand <- args %in% c("margin", "padding", "border_size")
+  if (any(expand)) {
+    args <- c(args[!expand], paste0(rep(args[expand], each = 4), "_", c("top", "right", "bottom", "left")))
+  }
+
+  if (is_style(x)) {
+    new_style <- style(...)
+    cls <- class(x)
+    class(x) <- NULL
+    x[args] <- new_style[args]
+    class(x) <- cls
+    return(x)
+  }
+
   tag <- tolower(tag)
-  if (!is_style_set(style_set)) {
-    stop_input_type(style_set, "a style set object")
+  if (!is_style_set(x)) {
+    stop_input_type(x, "a style set object")
   }
   check_character(tag)
-  tag <- vctrs::vec_recycle(tag, length(style_set))
+  tag <- vctrs::vec_recycle(tag, length(x))
 
-  opts <- list2(...)
   for (i in seq_along(opts)) {
     opt <- opts[[i]]
     if (is.null(opt) || is_style(opt) || is_modifier(opt) ||
-        is_trbl(opt) || inherits(opt, "marquee_skip_inherit") ||
-        inherits(opt, "font_feature") || inherits(opt, "GridPattern")) {
+        is_trbl(opt) || inherits(opt, "font_feature") ||
+        inherits(opt, "GridPattern")) {
       opt <- list(opt)
     }
-    opts[[i]] <- vctrs::vec_recycle(opt, length(style_set), x_arg = names(opts)[i])
+    opts[[i]] <- vctrs::vec_recycle(opt, length(x), x_arg = names(opts)[i])
   }
 
-  args <- names(opts)
-  expand <- args %in% c("margin", "padding", "border_size")
-  if (any(expand)) {
-    args <- c(args[!expand], paste0(rep(args[expand], each = 4), "_", c("top", "right", "bottom", "left")))
-  }
-  for (i in seq_along(style_set)) {
+  for (i in seq_along(x)) {
     if (is_style(opts[[1]][[i]])) {
       if (tag[i] == "base" && any(vapply(opts[[1]][[i]], is.null, logical(1)))) {
         cli::cli_abort("The base tag must be set to a complete style")
       }
-      style_set[[i]][[tag[i]]] <- opts[[1]][[i]]
+      x[[i]][[tag[i]]] <- opts[[1]][[i]]
     } else {
       new_style <- inject(style(!!!lapply(opts, `[[`, i)))
-      old_style <- style_set[[i]][[tag[i]]]
+      old_style <- x[[i]][[tag[i]]]
       if (is.null(old_style)) {
-        style_set[[i]][[tag[i]]] <- new_style
+        x[[i]][[tag[i]]] <- new_style
       } else {
         if (tag[i] == "base" && any(vapply(new_style[args], is.null, logical(1)))) {
           cli::cli_abort("The base tag cannot have any styles set to {.val NULL}")
         }
-        style_set[[i]][[tag[i]]][args] <- new_style[args]
+        cls <- class(x[[i]][[tag[i]]])
+        class(x[[i]][[tag[i]]]) <- NULL
+        x[[i]][[tag[i]]][args] <- new_style[args]
+        class(x[[i]][[tag[i]]]) <- cls
       }
     }
   }
 
-  style_set
+  x
 }
 
 #' @rdname style_set
 #' @export
-remove_style <- function(style_set, tag) {
+remove_style <- function(x, tag) {
   tag <- tolower(tag)
-  if (!is_style_set(style_set)) {
-    stop_input_type(style_set, "a style set object")
+  if (!is_style_set(x)) {
+    stop_input_type(x, "a style set object")
   }
   check_character(tag)
   if (any(tag == "base")) {
     cli::cli_abort("The base style cannot be removed")
   }
-  tag <- vctrs::vec_recycle(tag, length(style_set))
-  for (i in seq_along(style_set)) {
-    style_set[[i]][tag[i]] <- NULL
+  tag <- vctrs::vec_recycle(tag, length(x))
+  for (i in seq_along(x)) {
+    x[[i]][tag[i]] <- NULL
   }
-  style_set
+  x
 }
diff --git a/man/style_set.Rd b/man/style_set.Rd
index 0726528..64f50c8 100644
--- a/man/style_set.Rd
+++ b/man/style_set.Rd
@@ -8,20 +8,21 @@
 \usage{
 style_set(...)
 
-modify_style(style_set, tag, ...)
+modify_style(x, tag, ...)
 
-remove_style(style_set, tag)
+remove_style(x, tag)
 }
 \arguments{
 \item{...}{Named arguments providing a style for the specific tags. For
 \code{modify_style()} a number of style options to change. If the first argument
 is a marquee style it will overwrite the tag and subsequent arguments are
-ignored}
+ignored. This only holds if \code{x} is a style set.}
 
-\item{style_set}{A style set to modify}
+\item{x}{A style or style set to modify}
 
-\item{tag}{The name of a tag to modify or remove. Tags are internally all
-lowercase and \code{tag} will be converted to lowercase before matching}
+\item{tag}{The name of the tag to modify or remove if \code{x} is a style set. Tags
+are internally all lowercase and \code{tag} will be converted to lowercase before
+matching}
 }
 \value{
 A \code{marquee_style_set} object
diff --git a/tests/testthat/Rplots.pdf b/tests/testthat/Rplots.pdf
index 6433eb8..f76a532 100644
Binary files a/tests/testthat/Rplots.pdf and b/tests/testthat/Rplots.pdf differ
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-style_set.R b/tests/testthat/test-style_set.R
index 4842f1e..f28e0d4 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-style_set.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-style_set.R
@@ -45,6 +45,15 @@ test_that("modify_style() does correct modification", {
   expect_snapshot_error(modify_style(ss, "body", size = 1:2))
 })
 
+test_that("modify_style works on style objects", {
+  s <- base_style()
+  s <- modify_style(s, size = 6, color = "grey", padding = trbl(em(3), 0))
+  expect_equal(s$size, 6)
+  expect_equal(s$color, "grey")
+  expect_equal(s$padding_top, em(3))
+  expect_equal(s$padding_right, 0)
+})
+
 test_that("remove_style() works", {
   ss <- style_set(base = base_style(), body = style())