#closeting

[twopoppies]

x

[sunflower9194]

An old thread worth resharing:

These are stunts. Harry and Louis are not with these women. They are forced to do this to hide their sexuality. Louis is not a father.

Rest easier and enjoy them both on tour.

[daisiesonafield-blog]

I was finally able to listen to KATTDO top to bottom and my overall impression of it is that it's Harry's reflections about his struggle as a high profile closeted person. It's not just about being queer, but how being closeted affects every aspect of his life. Including his relationship. How having to hide puts extra strain on it. How having to hide puts extra strain on everything in his life. In "Paint By Numbers" he says we spend our whole lives trying to learn how to color within the framework, but he's "watching the colors run", meaning he's not coloring within the lines and making mistakes and struggling. To me most of the album is him grappling with fame and closeting, and how that has affected and shaped every aspect of his life, including his friendships and romantic relationships.

[summer-lovin-09]

American Girls Music Video Analysis: The Industry & Closeting.

The video opens with Harry walking onto a set, which mirrors celebrity perfectly. His life is a stage, and he must perform.

He’s then seen riding a motorcycle, which is symbolic of freedom and rebellion.

However, he’s unusually sad given the situation. Note that he’s wearing a yellow tie, which contradicts his demeanor. To me, this represents his truest self: warmth, optimism, and happiness. It’s close to his throat and wants to be let loose. Unfortunately, It’s being blown to the side.

Turns out, he’s not moving at all. Someone is pulling the strings and creating an illusion of agency. Even his efforts to take control of the narrative and escape are futile. We see this theme a lot throughout the video. Note that the man steering Harry is shrouded in blue, a color typically associated with sadness, which is fitting. But, most of all, that color is tied to Louis. I think this indicates that they are being controlled by the same monster. Harry’s image is intertwined with Louis’, and their decisions have a ripple effect on one another. It’s leverage—a subtle reminder that the person he loves is at stake, and it can/will be used if necessary.

A clapperboard makes an appearance, covering his face, removing his identity, and ending any chance he had at internal peace. The high number on the slate suggests that this has happened many times: his dreams crushed over and over again. It’s just another day, repeating the same takes and ending in the same way.

Harry, leaves the set and happens upon another guy in his same situation, turning to give him a thumbs up. The industry treats everyone badly, and he empathizes. So all that’s left to do is be kind and encouraging. He tries to be real in an environment full of artificiality.

This is the first moment we are introduced to his costar. Keep in mind that this is the only person Harry shares a scene with in the film review, which I will get to shortly. This guy is Louis, trapped in the same web of lies and control as everyone else, but it’s different than the previous interaction. Harry looks at him with longing, begging for him to glance back and break character. Every actor in the music video share the same box, but these two share the same closet.

This is very important and will make more sense later on. Just know that this is planning. They’re directing this person on what to expect when an explosion occurs.

We see another instance of Harry’s vehicle being worked on/tampered with. This one feels a bit more like a warning than direct curation based on the events that follow.

He’s actually driving this time. He is finally on his own, and the reigns have been loosened a bit, but there are still rules to follow (see above image). The freedom feels too good, though. It’s so nice to be able to take small liberties—almost like a high. It makes him lose sight of the expectations set for him. He gets too comfortable: saying too much, signaling too hard, not being as cautious with his love and identity. The consequences are explosive. People begin to speculate. His image has been cracked. It’s time for damage control…

The fire must be put out. But how? Let’s circle back to image of the person given instructions regarding explosions. It’s revealed that she is a stunt double (emphasis on the word stunt). The decision to make the double a woman was intentional. She is the damage control. The one who steps in when there is gay catastrophe, represented by the explosion. Note that the man overseeing the “clean-up” is the same one who was directing the stunt double. This is overwhelmingly the loudest part of the whole music video.

We cut to the cast reviewing the final product of the film. I think this is representative of a debrief or meeting where Harry is confronted with his actions, reprimanded for them, and reminded of how he’s meant to act. The three main attendees are the stunt double, Harry, and the man, who I believe, is meant to be Louis. As I mentioned, H & L’s closets are intertwined and reliant on the compliance of both of them. It would make sense for him to be there alongside the stunt. They’re all directly involved in the process of keeping up appearances. Her being in between them is also symbolic. Not only of them being torn apart but, also, of the fact that Louis has beards too.

As they’re watching, a shot of the man (Louis) and Harry is shown. This is the first time either of them have smiled in the entire video. They seem so happy and carefree—in love. Harry’s reaction to seeing it is so heartbreaking. The longing and sadness is so apparent. How could something so pure be wrong?

The following scenes depict Harry dodging and running from land mines. I think this represents him tiptoeing the line between what’s acceptable and what isn’t. He’s trying to navigate being true to himself without getting hurt by the impact.

Not everyone will come out unscathed, though. Harry is in pristine condition and even given a lint roller. His image remains in tact. His costar’s (Louis), however, is not. He’s shown with soot all over his face. Maybe he missteps, or maybe he’s just the scapegoat. As we know, Louis has taken the brunt of punishment when it comes to his career (blacklisting). Harry is their piggy bank; Louis is their means to an end.

This sequence of the motorcyclist doing flips in front of a sunset is reminiscent of Harry’s desire. Real, unbridled freedom. Even if it’s dangerous, the reward is worth the risk,

The blue wall has returned. He’s back to square one. The cycle continues. Rinse, repeat.

[voxina]

Probably one of the loudest videos Louis has ever made, on par with Just Like You. There are so many layers, and interpretations we can give it, and nuances to observe that are equally valid, but the central point is pretty clear and obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

[lolitaluvskitty]

No queer person ever wants to be in the closet. None. Not a single one. No matter how hard it is for you to see louis with yet another stunt, I promise you, it is 100x harder for him. To have your truth ripped from you for 16 years is a kind of pain I wouldn't wish on my enemy. This photo is powerful imagery and I don't care if you are not a larrie, if you are a louis fan, this messaging is for you. This is a scream. It is a cry from the deepest pits, begging to be seen. To be heard. That is a queer man screaming for his freedom. Begging.

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

Hi Paz. I hope you’ll answer this even if I’m on anon. I saw that recently you’ve reposted some posts about Harry and Louis possibly coming out in the future / starting a family etc (I’m referring to some posts in your tag “the future is bright”) but I noticed that you also reposted a post that says Louis doesn’t want to come out, so I was wondering if that means in your opinion they will never be out as a couple because Louis doesn’t want to? Tbh I never thought Louis wouldn’t want to come out or that he would actively keep pretending he’s a dad because he wants to do baby gate forever. Maybe I am not understanding something about that post, but it made me sad in a way because I couldn’t imagine being with someone that forces me to hide my relationship even if I don’t want to be closeted. Doesn’t it feel kind of toxic? I don’t know but that’s not something I ever thought about Harry and Louis

hello sweetheart, thank you for your kind message. 💖 I had to let it simmer for a bit, but I'm ready to speak on this now.

I first want to say that i don't exclusively reblog posts I 100% agree with. sometimes I reblog posts that simply show an interesting perspective or voice a thought that I don't know enough about to make a judgement on, but still want to share, because I find it important to amplify a valid voice or share a challenging, critical thought. sometimes I reblog posts that broadly align with what I think, but in which I do not agree with every single point that was made.

To be abundantly clear, I personally have every reason to believe that Louis does not want to stay in the closet for the rest of his life; in fact, not even for very much longer -- and the same goes for Harry. Mainly to be able to start having kids and lead a normal (as possible) life with them. Obviously there are a lot more nuances, upsides, and also (sadly) risks to being out, but I don't know how much weight each of those hold for H & Lou respectively and as a couple, I could only guess.

As many lovely people here have said before, I'm also personally under the impression that by now they don't much care about what the public (= strangers!) thinks of their relationship status or sexuality, nor do I think they are keen on the general public knowing much about it in the first place -- not just because of everything that's happened during the 1D days and its aftermath, but also because they have become incredibly private about their personal lives. Within friend-, adult family-, and work circles that matter, they're not hiding their relationship (never really much have) and are not hiding who they are in general.

At the same time, we shan't forget there are a lot of moving parts connected to their closet - most of them the public isn't privy to, and it always has to be viewed in the societal construct we all live in, as well as their careers they obviously still care about maintaining at the moment. Them and their careers exist and operate within a heteronormative, homomisic, transmisic, misogynist, patriarchal construct and in order to be successful, an artist MUST adhere to an industry standard in which all of the aforementioned societal biases are still extremely prevalent. we cannot ever overlook that fact. so as much as we fucking hate stunting (and i'm sure they don't enjoy it either), it is a part of their careers and part of upholding the image catering to the heteronormativity and homomisia we sadly live in.

But back to the topic -- my read on it is that they'll take a break from the spotlight and from actively releasing music and touring within the next 2-3 years to "settle down" and start the process of having kids and focussing on just their family for a while before they return to being active artists. (tiny side info on surrogacy laws in the UK: surrogacy is permitted in the UK, although the law is, to be blunt, a bit risky for the hoping-parents-to-be if you don't 100% trust your surrogate to for sure give up custody of the baby post-birth, because custody automatically stays with the birthing person [and whoever they list as other parent] guaranteed until the baby is born and "Surrogacy agreements are not enforceable by UK law, even if you have a signed document with your surrogate and have paid their expenses.". But in the case of one of them donating and using their sperm with a surrogate, if they use an unlicensed clinic, H or Lou would automatically be a legal parent of the child.) And remember the reno of the London properties fusion is estimated to be finished at the end of 2027. Obviously who knows if that plan will stick, but you can still move into a home earlier than when any and all reno is finished; plus, they have several homes in several countries. Also H's residencies this year are a great way to try out that kind of touring, since it's much less stressful to tour with children when only doing residencies.

I also have no doubt that babygate will end, but in the most lowkey way possible. paternity test, short statement, then the story gets buried by their teams, questions about it are blacklisted and Louis possibly never publicly talks about it again. -- and I also hope that the very real child who was being used his entire life will finally have peace (and hopefully be able to get therapy for that fucked up scheme they used him for).

So yeah, I have absolutely zero doubt about them coming out in the not so distant future and I'm sure they've had a plan for a long time and said plan surely changed a couple of times, too. I don't read them as wanting it to be a big thing - especially since coming out would mean (in some kind of way or another) inviting the world into their relationship. I don't see it being more than a short statement -- or a pap walk, short written confirmation, then back out of the spotlight; not addressing anything else, not addressing past stunts (that would stir up a lot of old 'demons' with veeeeery long tails), no definitive info on how long they've been together, etc. but that is just my guess! i of course might be wrong; maybe they’ll have a big-but-private wonderfully gay wedding/re-newal of vows, we will see. plus, it'll also depend on whether it happens before or after they have their first child and how long they've been out of the spotlight by that point. People nowadays have such incredibly short attention spans and no object permanency, so it shouldn't be too incredibly hard to wait out the news buzz and then go on with their day to day lives - especially if they've been out of the spotlight for a while by then. people love to forget, people love to move on from things that don't constantly entertain them with fresh new stuff. also, like I mentioned earlier, we know how easy it is to bury a story if they want their teams to do that.

All I hope for them is that it's going to go exactly how they want and what they feel comfortable with and that it will make them feel free and at peace, among other things. All of their feelings about it are valid and they are theirs alone. None of us have walked in their shoes. I have always and will forever wish them all the happiness in the world. 💕

-

so this sums up my main thoughts about it. i had originally written more, but i feel like it's not my place to talk about it in too much detail. What I will end on saying is that after 13 years of supporting H & Lou, the past 15 months have felt huge and I don’t say that lightly. I'm so deeply joyful and excited for them. Like the wonderful Gina @twopoppies keeps saying: things are shifting. 😌

And truly, the future is bright. 💚💙