The notification so many of us got the night of February 1st was a major shock to the system. It was a Twitter notification from Louis Tomlinson. Louis Tomlinson just tweeted Harry Styles.
And… wait, what?!
This seems like such a simple and unimportant thing, right? It’s a tweet. A tweet between two members of the same band. And it was simply a tweet that said this:
Doesn’t seem all that exciting, does it? And it certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would garner such a huge reaction from so many of us. But here’s the thing: Louis and Harry had not tweeted each other for four years, with the last exchange being on Harry’s birthday back in 2013.
Before this sudden ceasing of any social media interaction between the two, these were the kinds of tweets we got.
You have to understand something. Something pretty huge. Louis and Harry used to be inseparable in the public eye. Always touching, always staring fondly at each other, always sitting next to each other, always sharing inside jokes and going off into their own little world. And then there were the matching tattoos and the times where they both would go MIA at the same time and the whole moving in together thing immediately after finishing up The X Factor. Because that's normal. They were disgusting when they were around each other in the best way possible.
From the way they acted around each other, it was only natural that people started shipping them. Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles collectively became known as Larry Stylinson. Whether you shipped them as nothing but a bromance or actually saw it as a true romance, Larry became a huge deal both inside and outside of the fandom.
But then, things just… stopped. Louis began “dating” Eleanor Calder, Louis and Harry “moved out” from their once shared household, Harry “dated” high-profile women including Caroline Flack and Taylor Swift, and the two stopped any public interactions both online and off. It was like someone was trying to make the fan base forget that the last three years had happened. But that didn't happen.
Over the years, pieces have been put together and, over the years, we've figured it out: They're being kept apart in the public eye on purpose.Why? Because there is/was something more than just "bromantic" going on between the two of them. How did we come to this conclusion? Well, this is where I'll leave it up to you. Here is an INCREDIBLE and succinct overview on all that has happened between them. If you want some convincing evidence and a nice catch-up on all that has happened with Larry, definitely click on that link and read the treatise.
So, let's get back to this recent tweet. Let's look at what has happened in the month or so leading up to this, shall we? On January 10th, it was announced that Simon Cowell sold "a slice of his Syco music empire to Sony". Now, why is this important to note? Well, Cowell has long been suspected of being the reason behind Larry's public separation. He's been the boss since the beginning and more than likely saw any gay "rumors" as being harmful to the brand and, ultimately, his bank account. The boys of One Direction have always had to be seen as attainable to the (mostly) women that make up their fan base, no matter how unrealistic that may be, in order to capture and hold their interest so they would be more than willing to throw any money they had the band's way and, ultimately, Cowell's way as well. But now Simon, the suspected ringleader, has sold most of his stake in the company.
It took only nine days for the next major event to happen: Louis split with his "girlfriend" Danielle Campbell. Interesting timing, is it not? The girl that many people believed was nothing but a "beard" (aka someone used to cover up a gay relationship) for Louis is suddenly gone after Cowell sells most of his control of the company? Wow. I love coincidences, don't you?
And this brings us back to the recent tweet from Louis to Harry. You see, this is more than just a happy birthday tweet. This is the first sign of any sort of freedom we've seen in a hell of a long time. This is the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't want to make this tweet all about the romantic side of Larry because there's so much more to it than that. This is about Louis and Harry being seen as friends again, allies, and not feuding enemies anymore. This is about the loosening of reigns and the return of happiness for these two. All of us in the One Direction fandom are soaking it in right now. We're loving it. Both Larry shippers and non-Larry shippers alike are loving this small interaction. Because it indicates something so much bigger, something so many of us have been insisting has been going on behind-the-scenes for all these years.
The shift of power is happening and this can only mean good things from here on out. We've still got a long way to go and we'll surely still hit a few bumps here and there but, I can honestly say, I believe the worst is over. Here's to plenty more "sick nights".
