Larries

Beginnings One Direction formed on The X Factor in 2010 and self-described Larries emerged soon after, inspired by the pair's close and public relationship. Their interactions on the show included Styles declaring in 2011 that his "first real crush" was Tomlinson. Since the beginning, most Larries have been insistent that Styles and Tomlinson have a real-life romantic relationship. Since the conception of the conspiracy theory, some Larries have harassed Styles and Tomlinson, their friends and family, and journalists covering Larries. As early as 2012, Tomlinson said that the popularity of the theory was negatively affecting the way he and Styles behaved in public. Crazy About One Direction In 2013, British documentarian Daisy Asquith was tasked by Channel 4 to create a television documentary about fans of One Direction, also focusing on Larries. Within 24 hours of Crazy About One Directions release, a viral hoax circulated online, claiming that 42 fans who believed in the Larry Stylinson theory had committed suicide as a result of the documentary. #RIPLarryShippers trended on Twitter following the hoax. The suicide rumours were constructed both in response to the documentary prominently featuring Larries and the conspiracy theory, and in response to anti-Larries using the documentary as an excuse to criticise Larrie behaviours. Hashtags like #thisisnotus were used by One Direction members to separate themselves from Larries after the documentary's release. One manifestation of this belief came in the form of "Rainbow Bondage Bears" that could be seen onstage at One Direction concerts in 2014 and 2015. This incident occurred during the Glastonbury festival in 2025, which Styles and Tomlinson both attended. Larries have coined the term 'Glastonlarry' for this incident. This clue-finding process has allowed the conspiracy theory to sustain itself up to the present day, despite Styles and Tomlinson's public absences from each other's lives since One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016. In 2016, an anonymous caller told Tomlinson, "I hope your baby dies". Solo careers One Direction's breakup splintered the fanbase into seven distinct, though sometimes overlapping, factions: Harries (fans of Harry Styles), Louies (fans of Louis Tomlinson), Zquad (fans of Zayn Malik), Lovers (fans of Niall Horan), Paynos (fans of Liam Payne), OT4/OT5s (fans of One Direction generally) and Larries. He has also refused to label his sexuality. To explain Styles behaving this way while Tomlinson has explicitly stated he is straight, some Larries have constructed a martyrdom narrative for Tomlinson, where he is sacrificing himself to allow Styles greater freedom. == Content ==

Larries believe that Tomlinson and Styles are or were in a romantic relationship. The core evidence cited by proponents of the conspiracy typically consists of video clips that they interpret as showing romantic gestures, such as glances, touches, or other interpersonal interactions. One former Larry, when interviewed about this type of content filtering, reported that accounts "wouldn't reblog updates or photos about 'beard' relationships" and that Styles' many gay friends were also ignored by these accounts because "it didn't fit a narrative of him as an oppressed gay man." Artist Owen G Parry made several Larry-themed artworks that were displayed in a 2016 London exhibition. Parry has said that Larry shipping can be "a safe place to test out your sexuality, a fantasy space" for many young fans. == Ideology ==

Styles and Tomlinson's decreased interaction over the years has caused conspiracy-theorist fans to view themselves as "mouthpieces" for the two men. As of 2022, Larries are generally young women around the age of 20. Academics Clare Southerton and Hannah McCann say:Larries have been portrayed largely as a bizarre expression of the wider Directioner fandom, an inexplicable post-truth variation of the hysterical fangirl. [...] Larries reveal complex forms of desire that appear to belong more to the collective-the desiring community-than to the individual. Queering the figure of the fangirl, we find that far from simply lusting after their boyband idols, Larries desire desire itself. While fake news framings are concerned with getting to "truth", they often miss the overarching sociopolitical paradigms [...] The ultimate lesson from the Larry fandom is not proof of whether Larry is real, but rather, the creation of a space for the queerness of Larry to be real, whether really real, or not. They also comment on the fan group's complex relation to slash fiction and queerbaiting. == Response ==

Styles and Tomlinson have repeatedly criticised and disavowed the theory since its inception, with Tomlinson stating the conspiracy damaged their relationship. In 2012, Tomlinson tweeted: Former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik addressed the conspiracy in 2015, saying that 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. 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". Tomlinson blocked the word "Larry" from his Instagram comments in 2016, resulting in over 100,000 comments by Larries including variations of the word like "Lerry" and "Larrrrry". In 2017, when asked if his song "Sweet Creature" was about Tomlinson, Styles responded saying that although he did not "want to tell anyone that they're wrong for feeling what they feel about a song", he "would lean towards no". Tomlinson said in an interview with The Guardian that he knew the theory was culturally interesting but was tired of it. Tomlinson stated the theory was "childish" in 2023. In 2024, he said: Academic Abby Richards, who researches disinformation on TikTok, has said of conspiracy theories, "We've seen that time and time again this can absolutely translate to real-world harm." However, McCann and Southerton question the motives behind "dismissing Larries as merely dangerous" and question what paradigm they might be dangerous to. 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." 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. == In context of related communities ==

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. 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. "Babygate" is also not alone in speculation that celebrity pregnancies and babies are fake. Benedict Cumberbatch has been subjected to fans speculating about his wife's pregnancy. Kaitlyn Tiffany, writing for The Atlantic, observed that "modern theories about 'fake' celebrity babies come with a cocktail of resentment toward the hypocrisy of celebrity, the dishonesty of the media, and the unflappable confidence of the elite, who get away with whatever they want [. . .] The internet didn't invent conspiracism, but it did make spreading conspiracy theories easier and more fun." According to anthropologist Joseph Russo, "In a moment in which young people feel they're living in a really chaotic world where not much makes sense, certain conspiracy theories can feel like a security blanket, because they tell us there is actually an order underneath it all." == In popular culture ==

Larries have appeared in popular culture outside their own fandom, examples include: • The 2017 young adult novel Grace and the Fever was inspired by the Larry fandom. • In 2019, the teen drama Euphoria depicted an animated sex scene between Styles and Tomlinson due to one of its characters, Kat, being a notorious One Direction fanfic writer. The show portrays Kat as the inventor of the Larry Stylinson ship. Following the release of the episode, both Larry conspiracy theorists and non-conspiracy theorist fans of Styles and Tomlinson expressed outrage that the ship was portrayed in the show. ==See also==