This may come as a complete, total, and utter shock to the world outside of the One Direction fandom – so hold on to your hats because we’re about to drop a revelation so scandalous that you won’t know what to do with the information…
One Direction fans, in large, have absolutely NO desire to date Harry, Louis, Niall, or Liam!!!!!
Are you still with us after that breaking, never ever before heard news? Good, because it’s about time the world dropped the idea that any fan of One Direction is only a fan because they want to be the next Mrs. Styles, Horan, Payne, or Tomlinson. It’s past time to realize that their fans are here for reasons far beyond what last names get doodled with pink ink on notebook paper during 5th period.
If you were to ask the majority of One Direction fans why they liked the boys, 9 out of 10 of those responses would have nothing to do with romancing the lads, or on the flip side, being romanced by them. The reasons for being a fan of One Direction are deeper, more genuine, and more real than that. So why are fans of the band perpetually stuck in this day-dreamer pre teen demographic and when will people stop assuming that Liam, Niall, Louis, and Harry aren’t talented enough to have fans that are interested in them for anything but their looks?
While the answer is simple, the solution is complicated – and fans of the band have been aware of this fact for years. Louis, Harry, Liam, Niall, and Zayn were marketed towards young girls when One Direction first started. Five good looking, talented, heartthrobs were placed in a band that had overnight success and the crowds of screaming girls multiplied by the thousands every single day.
At first, it was a selling point – their bubble gum sound mixed with their boyhood charm was appealing to girls who didn’t know much about them as a band, or as individuals. It wasn’t wrong then, nor is it wrong now, for a band to appeal to a certain demographic – but they shouldn’t be limited to reaching out to that demographic alone.
This is where the team that should have taken care of One Direction dropped the (first) ball – they made them unattainable and undesirable, in the eyes of the general public, to anyone who was over the age of 16. It was almost taboo to say that you enjoyed One Direction, and in some ways, it still is – especially if you’ve aged beyond 18. The irony there is that the lads themselves are in their early twenties, and they’ve, for a few albums now, had songs about romance, lust, and maturity – but their radio singles have all been appealing to the youth, to that same demographic they started out with.
The boys wanted to grow up and evolve in their music, but to a degree, they were unable to. Fans of One Direction obviously bought their albums and saw the different songs, lyrics, and styles that existed between tracks – they saw the depth. Radio listeners and casual fans, however, knew Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn by songs like What Makes You Beautiful, One Thing, and Steal My Girl instead of songs like Little White Lies, Fools Gold, and Stockholm Syndrome.
In 2015, One Direction’s fans took matters into their own hands with Project No Control which turned one of the best songs the lads had put out into a fan made single – the tune ended up wining an award which was unheard of as it wasn’t officially a radio single. The banger not only showcased Louis’ talent – the boy who didn’t receive solos and used to think his voice wasn’t “good enough” suddenly took the song, and the world, by storm with his range, notes, and passion during the track. It was beautiful! Louis recognized the project and the song was one of the best performed during the On The Road Again Tour.
The fans didn’t come together to release a fan made single because they wanted to romance the lads – they did it because they wanted to support them. This was just one show, of many, that went to prove that the fans care about the boys for their talent and who they are.
One Direction fans are some of the most dedicated in the world; they come together for charity events involving the boys, both as a band and as individuals. For each boy’s birthday @1DFansGive organize a charity event that benefits a cause close to their hearts and fans go above and beyond to raise money and awareness for the causes. Accounts like @OneDirectionNDA are constantly retweeting charity organizations that the boys are involved with, stories of children that the lads have helped, and links of ways for fans to get involved themselves. Louis, Harry, Niall, and Liam use their circumstance to enhance the lives of others, no questions asked, no recognition required – they do it out of the kindness of their hearts.
The fans don’t spend time organizing events and finding ways to donate to charities because they want to be Mrs. Styles or Mrs. Payne – they do it because they think the hearts of the boys are more important than the drama that constantly surrounds the band.
On April 12th, E News brought up a rumored romance between Harry and Kendall – one her rep denied not even two weeks ago, one a reporter denied less than 7 days ago, and said it could definitely be “back on”. During this segment it was asked why fans are so against the romance and the answer? “Fans want Harry all to themselves.”
https://twitter.com/LarryWSNews/status/720057667171930112
Twitter was immediately full of tweets challenging that statement – fans spoke out to E!News and tried to explain that romance was no part of why the fans are still fans – but that truth will fall on deaf ears, and it makes no sense.
If any person was just a fan of One Direction – of Harry, Louis, Liam, and Niall so that they could date them – the boys would have no fans left. Harry has been painted (wrongly) as a womanizer and lothario for years. Louis was in a ‘tied down relationship’ for 3 years, followed by being a womanizing party boy before a one night stand turned pregnancy and new girlfriend all in a span of 10 months. Liam was in committed relationships during his time with One Direction, never staying single long enough to be a viable dating option for fans and Niall – well, no one knows what goes on in Niall’s love life and he’s actually the luckiest one of all when it comes to that.
Why would anyone stick around if those were true personas of the members of One Direction? They’d be silly to still be wishing they’d end up on the arms of one of them.
The good thing is – the world knows, at least, the true fans of the world – that Harry is not a womanizer, not a careless lothario. They know that Louis didn’t follow in Harry’s footsteps after his break up with Eleanor and become a womanizing party boy either. Fans didn’t buy into the rumors that the lads were bad guys and heartless young men, and they also didn’t stick around to wait for Liam’s next break up or to try to find out what you have to do to get Niall’s attention.
We’ll say it again – Fans of One Direction are not here because they want to date the boys.
Fans of One Direction, after almost six years, are here because the boys have saved them. Ask any true fan of Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall what they credit the boys for and the response is a heavy one – they credit the boys for being the reason many of them are still here. These boys have created a safe place to exist for fans who never had one before. They’ve created a home for people who felt like nomads before finding their music, their concerts, their community. Fans of One Direction are here because the boys have made them feel deserving of love, of self love, and of respect; and four young men who have the power to make their fans feel like friends, to make them feel loved, to make them feel like this is a journey that we’ve all somehow been on together – those are the kind of young men who should be looked up to for who they are on the inside.
So while Louis is so attractive that sometimes it actually hurts and Harry is so mesmerizing that we’ve all been lost in his eyes. While Liam is so handsome that he sometimes takes your breath away and Niall has the look and charisma that makes you weak at the knees – fans of the boys aren’t here for that, they’re here for everything good that the boys are on the inside, and for how it only makes them that much more lovely on the outside too.
So E! News, People Magazine, and anyone else who thinks the boys only have fans because they’re physically appealing have it all wrong; they’ve always been wrong.
We only hope that once the boys come back after their hiatus the world sees them for what they truly are – one of the most talented musical acts of all time. We hope they’re seen for their kindness, their charitable hearts, and their raw vocal talent mixed with their incredible writing ability and that the general public gets more songs like What A Feeling, Never Enough, and Temporary Fix. We hope that they’re finally credited for being more than a group of handsome lads and are given the recognition they deserve – it’s long overdue.
As for the fandom – we hope that they’re looked at differently too. One Direction fans are passionate, strong, dedicated, and they have determination to fight for what they believe in – being part of this (sometimes dysfunctional) family is a journey in and of itself, but it’s one that we know here we wouldn’t give up for the world.
If you could tell the casual fans of the world one thing about One Direction, or clear up one rumor – what would it be? Tweet us at @CelebMix1D and let us know – we’ll post your responses.