Larries
Larries are shipping conspiracy theorists who believe that former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson had or still have a long-term and secret romantic relationship.
[9] According to an anonymous One Direction fan interviewed by The Daily Dot in 2012, "There's no real space in fandom for people who ship Harry/Louis in the fictional sense.
"[9] Larries have been criticized for analyzing interactions between Styles and Tomlinson to prove that a romantic relationship exists, and the fandom has often been referred to as "tinhatting", where a person or group is unable to separate fiction from reality.
[14][15] This did not deter conspiracy theorist fans from regularly speculating when Styles and Tomlinson might announce their relationship to the public.
[16] In 2013, British documentarian Daisy Asquith was tasked by Channel 4 to create a television documentary about fans of One Direction.
[18] The increased visibility of the Larry Stylinson conspiracy theory and perceived public shaming caused their ranks to tighten and their beliefs to become more extreme.
[5] In addition to the Rainbow Bondage Bears, fans have invented other symbolism that might signify Styles and Tomlinson are trying to communicate with them about their secret love for one another.
[2] The unsubstantiated claims include: This clue-finding process has allowed the conspiracy theory to sustain itself up to the present day, despite Styles and Tomlinson being noticeably absent from each other's lives since One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.
[6]: 227 There is also a substantial community of One Direction-adjacent fans called "antis" who spend large amounts of time online countering the things that Larries say and do.
"[3]: 181-2 Since the beginning of his solo career, Styles has dressed androgynously, singing songs and making music videos invoking sexual fluidity, and waving pride flags at his concerts.
[6]: 235–236 At the same time, many Larries still hold the contradictory belief that Styles dates women as an attempt to hide his relationship with Tomlinson.
[28] The core evidence of the conspiracy is often introduced through video clips that frame glances, touches, or other interpersonal interactions as romantic gestures.
[6]: 228 People who become intrigued by the conspiracy may be directed to more detailed written content, which ranges from day-by-day timelines of their relationship to intricate explanations of the Babygate theory.
Parry says that Larry shipping can be "a safe place to test out your sexuality, a fantasy space" for many young fans.
[8] Academics Clare Southerton and Hannah McCann say:[1]Larries have been portrayed largely as a bizarre expression of the wider Directioner fandom, an inexplicable post-truth variation of the hysterical fangirl.
Former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik addressed the conspiracy in 2015, saying there were no secret relationships within the band and the belief had taken a toll on Styles and Tomlinson, who refrained from physically intimate behaviour like hugging as a result.
[37][38] Band member Liam Payne said in 2015 that symbols at One Direction concerts like rainbow flags to indicate support of the conspiracy "drives [him] insane".
So so be it.Larry Stylinson was not the first real person fiction (RPF) conspiracy that drew large numbers of "tinhats", fans who believe the public figures they ship really are in a secret relationship.
[2] The term was first coined in 2003 as a derogatory way to refer to fans who believed Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan had a secret relationship that formed while working on the set of Lord of the Rings.
[46] Other pairings with similar theories surrounding them include actors Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki from the CW television show Supernatural, as well as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and model Karlie Kloss.
[3]: 221 According to academic Anna Martin, these conspiracies are so common because "Star texts allow for fantasies not only of wealth and leisure, but of a life in which love is the only concern.
[1] They say that framing Larries exclusively as consumers and spreaders of fake news "miss[es] the overarching socio-political paradigms that shape what can be seen, heard, and represented in the first instance.
"[1] Tiffany challenges this viewpoint, claiming fans were "robbed" of neutrality towards Larry once it was seen as "serious business" due to it interfering with Styles and Tomlinson's personal lives.
