#rathher than the song itself

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

A lot of the fan anxiety around Louis is because he isn't 'easily read as gay' anymore. Those are words you used about him and they don't apply in 2022. In this round of promo he's drummed home the macho stereotype - focused on getting drunk and big nights out, plays unpleasant pranks on those who don't want to party (even Corden was shocked), no exercise or skin care routine, when travelling rejects local food in favor of Macdonald's. None of this lines up with what Harry does either which creates more anxiety.

Added to this there is no Only the Brave or Habit on FitF, or any love song they can relate to Harry. So people are confused.

Oh anon - there's a lot here and I don't know how much of it is what you think and how much is summarising what you've picked up. I think there may be some truth in what you say, but this is treating some completely ridiculous fans are making as reasonable and I am going to unpack that.

The first thing I want to say is that anyone who suggests that the fact that Louis is talking about drinking and nights out creates either suggests that he's straight or suggests any disconnect between him and queerness is showing a staggering lack of understanding or interest in queer people

It is completely disconnected with queer culture and queer lives to present getting drunk and big nights out as either macho or straight. There are many ways I could emphasise this point - queer history, research into queer lives. But I think to go into a lot of detail concedes too much. Drinking is a really big part of queer culture and queer lives - and anyone who suggests otherwise is showing that they're not interested in how the world is, just the stories they want to tell.

I also don't agree that Louis has presented himself as particularly macho in this promo round. It would never occur to me to use the word 'macho' when it comes to Louis. One of the core elements of being macho is both aggression and projecting your masculinity in a way that fights for dominance. I'm keen to talk about the details of how Louis engages with masculinity with those who are interested. But using the term 'macho' shows a lack of real analysis of what he's doing.

You suggest that Louis is no longer read as gay an then you provide a list of things that you think are part of that. As I've said some items on that list are genuinely absurd, but more than that - none of this is new. Apart from the fact that he hid a lot of drinking in 1D - nothing has changed about his pranks, food preferences, exercise or skin care routine - or how he's talked about them. (As an aside - the idea that there is something wrong with not having or not sharing your 'skincare routine' is one of my beserker buttons and so I'm just going to say that it is so fucked up to suggest that people owe you details about how they engage with their bodies. And also the idea of a 'skincare routine' is a relatively recent invention by beauty companies to sell you stuff. Stop doing their fucking work for them).

If Louis is less likely to be read as gay, it's got nothing to do to with the things you listed, none of which have changed. I think it's largely to do with him dressing in a way that gives people less opportunity to closely observe his physicality. I think it probably is true that he's less easily read as gay than he used to be. But I can't emphasise how bizarre that is to make it about the fact that he talks about drinking.

There is fan anxiety, but it's not about Louis behaving in ways that he has always done. Instead fans have attached it to really odd things as a ways of avoiding discussing their anxiety directly.