Louis and the Harsh Closet; Harry and the Soft Closet
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the differences in Louis’ and Harry’s public images, how/why their label chose to market them while in One Direction, and the repercussions these image choices have for them now.
First of all, artists’ recording contracts have image clauses that dictate how the artist’s image is presented in the public eye. These clauses exist because an artist’s public image will dictate how their music is promoted and how successfully it is received based on the target audience. Artists such as Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, and Ed Sheeran who started in the industry from the bottom have more of a say in their public image, since it’s evident that listeners liked however they’ve been presenting themselves from the beginning. For artists who break into the music industry from a talent show like The X Factor, their images will obviously be a lot more heavily controlled by their contract’s image clause, since they were rocketed to stardom by a TV show, and not their listeners’ money.
The typical understanding and perception of boyband audiences expects the most popular boyband members to attract the most relentless female attention. Due to the fact that boyband audiences are almost 100% young women, those most popular boyband members are required to continuously enable and encourage female fans’ attraction to them to maintain their following. (It is my opinion that this is a grossly outdated business model and most One Direction fans would have been supportive if Harry and Louis were out from the beginning). As Harry Styles was identified as the “most popular” member of the band from the beginning (whether fans actually believed he was the most popular or marketing tactics made him the most popular is up for debate), his public image was created as a Lothario who jumps from fling to fling. In doing so, his image leads hopeful female fans to adopt the illusion that they have a chance with him. Allowing Harry to be tied down with a long-term committed relationship would have been bad for business (supposedly).
On the other hand, Louis Tomlinson was the most widely undervalued member of One Direction. While he is very much appreciated and loved among fans, Louis was never as much of a household name as “Harry Styles” was, at least during One Direction’s era. Because his lack of popularity from the general public meant - according to the business model previously described - a lack of hardcore female attention, Louis was able be tied down in a long-term committed relationship without sacrificing fans. (At this point it’s important to remind you that for One Direction, their entire public image was controlled by their contract’s image clause because they rose to fame on the X Factor instead of by listeners electing a preference for their music). When it came to denying gay rumors, Louis was also the go-to because attention paid to him when he was called “homophobic” would never have been as intense as if Harry were the one denying things.
Should Harry deny gay rumors as intensely as Louis was required to, the heartthrob image would be shattered under a cloud of problematic-ness. Your heartthrob could never be cast as a problematic character, as it would draw disapproval from parents of fans - this is why we never saw footage or evidence of recreational drug use although we all knew Harry participated in it.
In marketing their images this way, you succeed in having Harry attract female attention through fulfilling the cliché teenage heartthrob role, while also closeting both of them. You also succeed in invalidating the opinion of anyone who thinks they’re romantically involved, as deniers point to their public images as evidence that these “diametrically different people” would never want to be together.
But the most disgusting result of this is that they have succeeded in alienating a Louis from the LGBT community so abusively that deconstructing the homophobic image he’s been handed will require years and years of PR and publicity moves.
In conclusion: I see romantics all over Tumblr and Twitter talking about how Louis elected to take on the denials, the harsh closet beards, etc in an effort to “protect” Harry when that is definitely not true and neither of them had a choice in how their images were presented.