Larries are shipping conspiracy theorists who believe that former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have a long-term and secret romantic relationship. A fundamental part of this conspiracy theory is that the two, name blended as "Larry Stylinson" ("Larry" for short), have been closeted by their management company, Modest Management, supposedly guided by homophobic corporate interests. This conspiracy is also called "Larry is Real."
Despite repeated public disavowals, particularly by the more outspoken Tomlinson, belief in the theory has not diminished over time. Larries have been one of the largest groups of the One Direction fandom since the band's early days.
History
Beginnings
One Direction formed on The X Factor in 2010 and the self-called Larries formed soon after, inspired by the pair's close and public friendship. Since the beginning, most Larries have been insistent that Styles and Tomlinson's relationship is real. 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." However, Larries were not the majority of the fanbase (called "Directioners"), with only "a couple thousand" Larries estimated to exist by one fan in 2012.
Ever since the Larry conspiracy began, the passion of this group of fans has caused the harassment of Styles and Tomlinson, their friends and family, and journalists covering Larries. As early as 2012, Tomlinson admitted that the popularity of the theory was negatively affecting the way he and Styles behaved in public. Tomlinson also referred to Larry as "bullshit" and "conspiracy theories" on Twitter around this time. This did not deter conspiracy theorist fans from regularly speculating when Styles and Tomlinson might announce their relationship to the 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. She interviewed fans at a Manchester show, making sure to both engage fans' parents and to locate fans who would be emotionally prepared to be featured on television. Channel 4 pressured her to feature "the crazy fans" and, at the last minute, changed the name of the documentary from "I Heart One Direction" to "Crazy About One Direction."
To many One Direction fans, the depictions of fans wearing One Direction-themed outfits, making fan art, and engaging in "insane" behaviors were interpreted as public shaming. In response to the documentary and the outrage, One Direction member Liam Payne tweeted, "We couldn't give a fuck what any documentary says dramatised for entertainment and full of bullshit anyway we all know..."
Within 24 hours of Crazy About One Direction's release, an unsubstantiated rumor that 42 fans who believed in the Larry Stylinson theory had committed suicide as a result of the documentary circulated online, with #RIPLarryShippers trending on Twitter. Notably, the faked suicides were constructed both in response to the film and in response to anti-Larries using the documentary as an excuse to criticize Larrie behaviors. Asquith and Channel 4 also received bomb threats and death threats.
In the documentary, Larries were accused of bringing shame onto the One Direction fandom by making all One Direction fans look crazy. Hashtags like #thisisnotus were used by One Direction members to separate themselves from Larries after the documentary's release. 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.
"Rainbow Bondage Bears" and other symbols
By 2014, Larries believed that Tomlinson and Styles were sending secret messages directly to them. The most notable 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. These stuffed bears (originally owned by fans who threw them onstage during concerts) were later placed onstage during concerts and dressed in costumes reminiscent of prominent gay icons, such as Freddie Mercury and Judy Garland.
Sometimes the bears seemed to hint at the Larry conspiracy, such as when a sign next to the bear said "Love Larry" with a picture of Larry Grayson attached. The context of the bears is still unclear, but the band has denied it having any significance to the personal lives of Styles or Tomlinson.