Larrie

Larries are One Direction fans who believe that bandmembers Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson (whose ship name is Larry Stylinson) are a real-life couple. Over time, terms describing different factions of Larries have proliferated: see #Types of Larries below.
Compared to other fandoms with "tinhat" ships, Larries are thought to make up a much larger proportion of the greater One Direction fandom, though they are often not well-received within it due to a variety of reasons. Many 1D fans are displeased by the negative attention Larries have attracted from other fandoms, mainstream media, and members of the band themselves. 
Not all fans who think that Larry Is Real adopt the term Larrie for themselves. This may be due to not identifying with the Larrie community, not wanting to be associated with the negative views surrounding the name or wanting to avoid the attention of anti-larries.
== Origin of the Term ==
The Larry theory originated in the RPF shipping community. Fans who shipped Larry and fans who believed Larry Is Real did not have separate identifiers until years after the fandom took off, initially both calling themselves Larry shippers.
Over time, the term "Larrie" was adopted to identify fans who believed Larry was real, though the boundaries can still be blurry, especially outside the fandom. Meanwhile, as Larry fandom became its own thing, some fans who joined later did not migrate from shipping fandom, may never have considered themselves shippers, and were not interested in RPFFor example, someone who became a larrie in 2020 wrote, "smut fanfics about them are f**king weird. write that about fictional characters, not real life people" , reddit post in r/larrystylinson, 5 October 2022..
It is not clear whether the term was coined by Larries themselves, or whether it was first used by people who did not believe in the theory and was later "reclaimed" by Larries. 
It existed as early as the summer of 2014: 
The #larries Tumblr tag turns up a fan asking, on September 23, 2014: 
On twitter several 1D fans commented on the recent adoption of the term larries in late September 2014, with varying opinions:
*"so now its not "larry shippers" it's "larries" ok", Sep 23, 2014
*"ARE WE REALLY CALLED LARRIES? omg im so happy rn its like we finally became a fuCKING FANDOM! #larry #larries", Sep 23, 2014
*"I preferred larry cult tbh it at least sounded kinda exclusive and exciting. Larries sounds like a symptom of laryngitis or the flu", Sep 24, 2014
*"Wait do people really call us "larries" I feel honored", Sep 27, 2014
During a 2016 Tumblr discussion between non-larries, someone suggested that the term was popularized on 28 October 2014 after Harry made a tweet using the word "larents," in reply to someone's typo about their parents: 
== Types of Larries ==
thumb|"are you a wellington larrie or a leeds larrie? are you a dark larrie or a chill larrie? are you an angsty fic larrie or a fluffy fic larrie? bonus question: are you an iicf larrie or a home larrie?" ( 10 Jun 2016, accessed 16 Sep 2019)
Terms like Weak Larrie, Dark Larrie and Demon Larrie are often used humorously (Quiz) (Accessed 9 Sep 2019), though fans have reported being bullied for being Weak Larries. Some larries also feel that the term Dark Larrie has some stigma attached, because, as with "tinhat", Anti-Larries often use it pejoratively.
=== Dark Larrie ===
Dark Larrie is a term with multiple meanings. It may have started as a joke among Larries after someone sent a Tumblr ask calling Larries "Dark Larries." Initially it meant an evil Larrie (Dark Larrie as in Dark Lord or Dark Harry), but evolved to mean a secret Larrie. In this sense, Liam Payne, Nick Grimshaw, and others have been called Dark Larries. 
Confused fans asking about the definition of the term have also been told that it means a hardcore Larrie interested in the minutiae of the conspiracy theories., posted 16 August 2015. While some consider "Dark Larrie" and "Larrie" to be synonyms, reblog of an anonymous ask to hershelstagram by larrystylesvevo, posted 21 June 2015. The Tumblr post has 1936 notes as of 10 December 2015., post by im-on-fire-now responding to an anonymous ask, 27 July 2015. The Tumblr post has 2 notes as of 10 December 2015., in general Larries themselves do not as there are Larries who do not believe in or are not interested in investigating the related conspiracy theories.
A Demon Larrie is an extreme Dark Larrie.
Calling Harry, Louis and their bandmates Dark Larries is a common meme.
=== Chill Larrie ===
A Chill Larrie is the opposite of a Dark Larrie, i.e. a Larrie who isn't hardcore obsessed or interested in conspiracy theories.
Others believe that whether or not Larries post Larry-related comments on the social media accounts of the band's friends and family members determines who is a Chill or Dark Larrie.While there may not be consensus on the exact definition of Dark Larrie, it is generally not used among Larries to encompass Breaking the Fourth Wall to engage in harassment. This is often considered, including among many self-identified "Dark Larries", to be unacceptable fan behavior.
Some people, however, have expressed that there may not be a meaningful distinction between Chill Larries and Dark Larries. One fan remarked, "'I’m a chill larrie' is the 'not all men' of this fandom."reblogged May 2, 2015. originally from clivecalderofficial (deleted)
=== Big Larrie ===
A Big Larrie is a Larrie blog with a lot of followers. See Big Larrie.
=== Weak Larrie ===
A Weak Larrie is a Larrie who has doubts about whether or not Larry Is Real.freddie-reign. , posted to Tumblr 4 February 2016.
=== Ex-Larrie ===
An Ex-Larrie is a fan who once expressed belief that Larry was real but later changed their mind.
A prominent Big Larrie who became an ex-Larrie in 2015 explained:
Some ex-Larries became Anti-Larries.
=== Houie ===
A Houie (a later term derivative of the alternate smooshname "Houis") is a fan who believes Harry/Louis were in a relationship or had feelings for each other previously but aren't/don't anymore. Some believe this was due to self-closeting by Louis., 6 December 2015., posted 2 December 2015., posted 10 November 2015. The term and its definition appear to be used by Larries derogatorily more often than they are used as self-descriptors by "Houies"., posted October 20, 2016, posted February 3, 2017Some have left the fandom completely while others continue to engage in Larry shipping. However, the distinction between so-called "Houies" and Larries is also not black and white. Throughout the years there have been a number of fans who identify as Larries say they are not sure if they have broken up or not. Some say they lean towards a break-up, some towards them still being together.
=== Bluegreener ===
A Bluegreener is a Larrie who is disrespectful or who takes things "too far". A bluegreener is likely to believe in things associated with Larry deemed untrue or unlikely by mainstream Larries. See also Blue and Green.
=== Buzzin Larrie ===
A "buzzin" larrie does not believe in babygate or that Louis is a father.Wayback Machine copy of a tweet explaining some larrie terminology, 5 Jun 2021.
=== No Stunts Larrie ===
A No Stunts Larrie, sometimes abbreviated "ns larrie", is a true larrie, one who doesn't think any of the stunts are real, including babygate. 
=== Twarrie ===
A Twarrie is a larrie who believes in some of what other larries think are pure PR stunts, such as the public girlfriends or Freddie being Louis' son (babygate)., tweet by armsofbabylon, 18 December 2020., tweet by sleepysaline, 13 December 2020., tweet by beanielouisgf, 13 December 2020., 1 November 2020. Twarrie is short for twitter larrie and is meant to be derogatory: twitter users who became larries much later than everyone else and are uneducated about larrie theories., tweet by _CanIStay_, 20 August 2020. Accessed 2 April 2022. According to one twitter user the term came about because "twitter larries used to be the strongest but lately a lot of them have been the weakest compared to insta and tumblr larries", 3 October 2020. Searching twitter shows that the earliest appearance of the word "twarrie" in a 1D fandom context was in July 2020Earliest tweet found: , tweet by sunfIwrstyIess, 30 July 2020. Accessed 2 April 2022., but the term may have been circulating before that. On Tumblr the twarries tag goes back as far as September 2020, with a tumblr larrie complaining that twarries were calling them a bluegreener., 4 September 2020. Complaints about twarries appear to be the larrie version of complaints about newbies or an Eternal September-type phenomenon caused by the pandemic bringing in many new fans all at once.
=== Quarantine Larrie ===
A Quarantine Larrie became a Larrie during the COVID pandemic. On Twitter the term came into use around August/September 2020. Some examples:
*"It was debunked at the time it was happening.. I think these are quarantine larries" (August 6, 2020), 6 August 2020.
*"I would like to take credit for being a quarantine larrie who definitely does not believe in bg. It’s so obvious that it doesn’t add up." (August 8, 2020), 8 August 2020.
*"As a quarantine larrie I first heard about them in march spent about 4 months researching and trying to disprove everything before giving in and accepting it's true" (August 30, 2020), 30 August 2020.
*"it’s so odd. i’m a quarantine larrie so i started off on tiktok where bg is literal taboo. and then i came here and it was even worse. but then when you actually look into it, there’s SO much ignored. people make fun of antis ignoring the “proof” but they’re doing the same?" (September 6, 2020), 6 September 2020.
*"worst thing of corona? quarantine larries" (September 28, 2020), 28 September 2020.
*"Definitely. The wave of quarantine 'larries' was intense" (October 16, 2020), 16 October 2020.
== Larries' Origin Stories ==
Larries like to tell stories about how they became Larries. A common trope is expressing surprise and disbelief at coming to believe in what everyone else considers a conspiracy theory. 
Many Larries were Harry/Louis shippers first, but a number report that they were not introduced to Larry via shipping but by friends, YouTube videos, or mainstream news coverage of Larry Stylinson. One came to Larry via "2017 larrie -- I actually first heard about them in 2012 from a friend" anonymous ask on Tumblr on 30 Jul 2017 (Accessed 9 Sep 2019). Some, but not all, of these Larries have become shippers as well.
A few fans have also claimed they were brought in by either seeing Harry and Louis together or hearing insider information.
See also: compiled by one Tumblr user.
New larries enthusing:
== Larrie Demographics ==
Belief in Larry arose very early in the fandom's history. See Origin of the Theory. Consequently, the earliest Larrie demographics were likely the same as of other Directioners: teenage girls. However, this may have changed as years passed and the band became immensely popular worldwide; Larry became more visible and more One Direction fans as well as outsiders were drawn to the theory.
Larries object to the characterization of them as teenage girls and point to the presence of older fans since the beginning. They have also argued that more older fans joined the fandom in 2014-2015 due to the increased visibility of Larry Stylinson and larries' excitement at what they believed to be an imminent coming out. These included fans who claimed to have careers in law or public relations and contributed supposed "insider knowledge" to theories and analysis. 
Larries are proud of the presence of credentialed professionals in their fandom and see it as another reason to be confident about their beliefs. They see the erasure of older fans in outsiders' discussions of Larry as typical of the way the outside world views fandom in general. They often mention it to others, but it does not have the desired effect; for example, when a larrie on tumblr informed Harry Styles's sister that older professionals numbered among Larries, she responded, "Doctors, lawyers and professors. Holy cow. What a WASTE.", 29 April 2014. Yet this sort of response does nothing to deter them, possibly because at least some larries think these responses are written by or directed by Management as a tactic to discredit the theory that Harry and Louis are together. In discussing Louis's PR team's response to fans' criticism of his promo, one Tumblr user echoed the frustrations of many Larries:
== Larries by Platform == 
Larries, non-larries, and even academics have commented on how larrie culture is different on different social media websites. See this popular post from 2020 by tumblr larrie srslycris, characterizing larries on twitter, tumblr, instagram, reddit, tik tok, and youtube: My experience of larries based on the platforms they use., posted by bearmustard (formerly srslycris), 30 August 2020. (Accessed 5 November 2023.)
In 2014, acafan H.L. Dare-Edwards wrote: 
A 2021 example of Tumblr larries looking askance at Twitter larries:
See also One Direction Fandom Wars.
== Views of Larries ==
:See also: One Direction Fandom Wars: Larries vs Other 1D Fans
=== Larries' Views ===
Reddit, 2022:
Tumblr, 2023:
====Larries' Views of Others' Views of Larries====
Twitter, 2019:
Tumblr, 2021:
Reddit, 2022:
See also #Larries and Academics below.
====Viewpoint Diversity====
:See also: Larry Is Real
Larries think that non-larries unfairly believe that Larry fandom is a monolith; larries experience their community as far more diverse than outsiders think. In particular, non-larries often assume that all Larries hold exactly the same beliefs (see cult section), so any time the most outlandish-sounding conspiracy theories are circulated, non-larries may assume that all larries believe it without question. 
However, within the community, there is a range of opinion on any specific theory, and more importantly, there is or was a range of opinion regarding the likelihood of Larry being real, and at what point they were together and whether they are still together. (As of 2015, some Larries have started using the term "Houie" to describe fans who believe that Harry and Louis used to be in a relationship but broke up, thus signalling that in order to be a true Larrie, you must believe they are currently in a relationship and therefore subscribe to the conspiracy theory.) Plenty of fans take the idea of Larry being real seriously without harassing anybody. Furthermore, not all believers subscribe to all tinhat theories. For example, one theory that was considered fringe even among larries was the idea that Louis' girlfriend Eleanor was not only a paid beard, but actually twins or triplets who would trade off make public appearances with him. Commenting on the Eleanor twin idea in 2014, Tumblr user stylinsoncity said, 
===Other 1D Fans===
Historically, Larries were poorly received in One Direction fandom for a variety of reasons. Many fans had a very negative view of larries, though some remained neutral.
Common complaints have included their breaking The Fourth Wall; harassing band members' friends and families; continuing to discuss Larry theories after pushback from the band members; expressing what have been perceived by some as homophobic attitudes towards closeting, beards and stereotypically gay mannerisms; having a cult-like culture based on conspiracy theories; and contributing to the public perception that all One Direction fans are crazy. 
1D fandom also included non-RPF fans, who were also bothered by the simple fact that Larries shipped two real-life people together--or worse, they were homophobic and objected specifically to its being a slash ship.
A number of fans have complained that Larries take up too much space, "making everything about Larry."
====Ex-Larries' Views====
Some former Larries have spoken up about their time in Larry fandom and how they felt about being a Larrie.
Around 2016 some ex-larries set up support groups on Tumblr, such as exlarriesupportgroup (a popular blog later deleted) and exlarriessupport. exlarriessupport explained why they set up their blog:
exlarriessupport reblogged some posts by ex-larries:
When exlarriesupportgroup existed, many anons wrote in expressing very negative feelings:
It is not uncommon for ex-Larries to report that they were harassed by other Larries, both before and after they left the fold. Some 2016 comments:
*"Instead of having their big old larrie family comforting them, they get treated like trash, get called weak and are told they aren’t needed. So they go over to the 'other side' and find the support they couldn’t find on this side.", reblogged by thisisnotalarryblog 10 Feb 2016.
*"lol whatever, you whore. you can be a fucking bitter anti but don't you dare come crawling back to us when louis and harry come out. Wow, i actually had faith in you, you fake bitch. have fun being up antis' asses."Example of anonymous harassment posted to tumblr: , reblogged by realityoverconspiracy, 3 Apr 2016.
Tumblr ask sent to Shit Larries Say/anticonspiracist, 2022:
===="Larries Ruined X"====
Non-Larrie fans often complain that "Larries ruined" various aspects of the fandom."Larries ruined" twitter search, returning dozens of recent entries as of Nov 2021, including both complaints and denials. Examples of things they feel were tainted or ruined by Larries include: 
* Harry and Louis' friendship/relationship (by making them self-conscious/putting them in an uncomfortable position/driving them apart), tweet by @1Dupdategirls, 28 Oct 2013., tweet by @97MKVN, 14 Dec 2017., tweet by @idlyrosenthal, 22 July 2020. definition of "Larries" on UrbanDictionary.com by wokebitch123, Nov 9, 2020
* Rainbow flags, tweet by @twistedmcsista, 30 July 2017., Tumblr reply by outofcases, 2016 - 210 notes as of Nov 2021 (see also: Rainbow Direction#Controversy)
* Certain songs (such as "Home," "Little Things," "18" and more by One Direction, tweet by @zmjimin about "Home," Sept 16, 2018, tweet by @starcrossharry, March 25, 2020, tweet by @missedcalls, Feb 15, 2021, "Secret Love Song" by Little Mix, tweet by @winderfulpramore, Nov 11, 2015, tweet by @purplemixprint, April 23, 2021 -- referring to incidents where the Wikipedia page for the song credits were repeatedly edited to falsely add Louis as a songwriter, "Two Ghosts," "Golden" or "Sweet Creature" on Harry's solo album, tweet by @jadore_la_mer about "Two Ghosts", Nov 8, 2019, tweet by @taylormilf, August 11, 2020) by making them Larry evidence or saying that they were written about Larry.
Larries frequently repeat this phrase, either to refute it, or ironically when captioning what they see as Larry "proof."
====Fan Conflicts and Boycotts====
Conflicts between Larries and non-Larries are frequent instigators of One Direction Fandom Wars, and bullying both by Larries and of Larries has been reported. Larries have complained that non-larries and people outside the fandom unfairly assume that the worst-behaving larries are representative of all Larries. One fan made a tumblr blog, Larries are Problematic Like Everyone Else, pushing back against larrie protestations of innocence and to differentiate believing in Larry from "larries".
Many non-larries do not want to support fan projects that are run by or are too closely associated with larries due to the perception that these projects are in fact promoting Larry. Some projects like Rainbow Direction, Project No Control and other charity drives have claimed that they are not about Larry or shipping, but non-larries don't believe them.
Post-Babygate, some tumblr anti-larries began arguing that larries' behavior had become so egregious that they should be actively excluded from the fandom. Several boycotts were started. When anti-larries asked the mods of 1d bigbang in 2017 what their stance on tinhats was, the mods' response managed to antagonize both larries and anti-larries, who each made alternative big bangs with contrasting rules (see New One Direction Big Bang and The 1D Collab), which may have hastened the end of 1d bigbang.
===Offensive Larrie Arguments===
When new information about bandmembers is reported and larries analyze it and brainstorm new theories to explain why Larry is still real, sometimes their analyses and theories have offended 1D fans, other fans, and/or non-fans. People have criticized larrie theories for being racist, sexist, or homophobic. Comments like "larries have sunk to new lows" would circulate, and fans would get angry at larries all over again.
Louis Tomlinson's mother died in 2016, and one of his sisters died in 2019; other fans were outraged by some comments by larries (larries argued that anti-larries were the outrageous ones for using the tragedies to criticize larries). When Louis's son was born, some larries decided that the baby was a reborn doll, and one fan bought a doll and posed it in imitation of publicly shared photos of the child; other fans were deeply upset and offended., 2016-04-12.{{source| url=https://lavenderstyles.tumblr.com/post/140053877469/that-anon-is-absolutely-wrong-even-if-those-who | title= anon ask answered by lavenderstyles, 26 Feb 2016., tumblr thread reblogged by thelarrative-blog, 6 September 2017., 23 February 2016.
Larrie theories about Harry and Louis's "public girlfriends" were heavily criticized for being laced with sexist comments and attitudes. (For example, Larries referred to Louis's girlfriend Eleanor as "Elewhore" on Twitter., tweet by hyotaengoo (Oct 18, 2014) (Jul 16, 2013), tweet by __jaida_ (Mar 2, 2013)) Part of Babygate theorizing involved discrediting the mother of Louis's child, and observers expressed disapproval of larries' sexist attitude toward her.
In Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It, journalist Kaitlyn Tiffany described an incident a Black fan had told her about how upsetting it was when larries explained away Louis saying the N word in the infamous 2014 weed video as his management staging the video to force a false frat boy persona on him.
====Homophobia====
Other fans have objected to the larrie theory that H/L are being forcibly closeted. From fail_fandomanon:
LGBTQ+ anti-larries do not appreciate larrie claims that anti-larries are homophobes who hate the idea of Harry and Louis in a relationship. Meanwhile antis have argued that a lot of elements of larrie theories rely on gay stereotypes and that their obsession with the truth of strangers' sexual orientation is creepy, invasive, and fetishizing.
Larries have also managed to offend journalists and other non-fans. For example, in November 2016, Vanity Fair journalist Richard Lawson (who is gay) tweeted, 
===Larries as a Cult?===
thumb|Twitter fans react to Liam Payne calling larries a cult.
Some non-larries, especially anti-larries and ex-larries, have described larries as a cult or cult-like., anon ask answered by rad--bromance, 20 May 2017. As of 29 March 2022, this tumblr post has 4 notes. Some Twitter comments:
*"why do ex larries act like they were in a cult?? like literally no one forced you to be a larrie you did that to yourself mf...", 10 June 2021.
*"Found this check list of church/cult red flags. Coloured in those that applied to larries.", 15 February 2021.
*"(most) larries are basically in a cult and y'all will do ANYTHING to prove that louis & harry are together. it's so annoying", Feb 18, 2016.
From an ex-larrie on Tumblr in 2016:
Exchange between a larrie and an ex-larrie support blog:
In a 2015 interview with Attitude magazine, Liam Payne also compared larries to a cult, saying
Fans on twitter reacted immediately to Liam's comment., twitter search, 29 March 2022., tweet by tiatrovato, 11 September 2015.
Many larries were not pleased by being labeled a cult, but other larries claimed the "cult" label with pride or posted jokes about being in a cult., tweet by sophielockley, 28 April 2016., tweet by LarentsWedding, Jan 31, 2016. Some larries believed that Liam's comments were why other fans started calling them a cult.
===In Wider Fandom===
Larries have acquired a poor reputation across many fan communities. Not all fan communities may use the terms Tinhat or Breaking the Fourth Wall, but Larries are widely known as fans who violate the rules of fandom. 
Fans have shared lurid tales of harassment and stalking attributed to larries far beyond 1D fandom. For example, someone shared this anecdote in the gossip subreddit Fauxmoi in 2022 in response to the question "Craziest Stan/Fandom Behavior and/or drama?":
Is it true? Who knows. But other incidents such as a fan driving six hours (roundtrip) to buy a copy of Louis's son's birth certificate to check if it was fake were confirmed by the fan who did it, 17 Feb 2016. 4018 notes as of 14 November 2023. reblog by hiddensymposiarch., so even the most outrageous story is likely to be believed.
In panfandom fanfiction forums fans sometimes debate the ethics of RPF, and larries are often mentioned, either as a reason not to support RPF or as an example of what not to do by RPF supporters:
===Larries and Academics===
At least a few Larries have framed the issue of Larries' poor reception as other fans uncomfortable with their fourth wall violations or reacting out of internalized shame; Larry Stylinson "shoved stigmatized ways of performing fandom into the public eye."Fanlore edit by Rougeandtonic, 17 September 2019."Documenting the story of this fandom is important not just for its historical relevance (it’s the first huge case study in the complex relationship between fans and the fourth wall in the age of social media, something I only really began to understand as I was writing this) but for acknowledging Larries’ experiences as real and valid." Editing The Fanlore Larrie Pages by rougeandtonic, 17 September 2019. This reading of the fandom's motivation may have been prompted by the One Direction chapters in the scholarly edited volume Seeing Fans (2016). They cite Bethan Jones's chapter:
In another chapter, titled "Crazy About One Direction: Whose Shame Is It Anyway?", Daisy Asquith, the filmmaker behind the 2013 documentary Crazy About One Direction, commented that fans were upset at the documentary for exposing Larry to the general public, though Asquith characterized it not as a fourth wall violation but as a fan reaction born out of internalized shame brought on by "three years of negative and patronizing media representations of Directioners." Asquith argued that "in moving Larry from Tumblr to television, my film may have decontextualized it, but the fears and fury of fans result from their understanding of the total unacceptability of teenage female desire in patriarchal society."Asquith, D. (2016). Crazy About One Direction: Whose Shame Is It Anyway?. In L. Bennett & P. Booth (Eds.), Seeing Fans: Representations of Fandom in Media and Popular Culture (Ch 7, pp. 79-88). Bloomsbury Academic & Professional. 
Neither chapter appears to differentiate between Larries and Larry shippers.
=== Larries as Tinhats ===
Many non-Larrie One Direction fans, as well as fans outside the fandom, have used the traditional fannish term tinhat to describe Larries, while some Larries consider the term offensive. See Larry Is Real - Tinhats for details.
== Other Resources == 
*Fireproof, a short documentary by a film student featuring interviews with a larrie and a former larrie (May 4, 2017)
== Notes and References ==
=== Notes ===
=== References ===
Category:One Direction Fandom Glossary