Communities built around a shared interest in popular culture, known as Fandom Cultures, are a growing phenomenon in our society. Justin Bieber’s superfans are called Beliebers. Selena Gomez has the Selenators. Those following Ariana Grande are the Arianators. For her Distinguished Majors Program thesis, Sally Stimpson (’23) researched fandom culture through the lens of one of the most sensational pop culture conspiracies of the 2010s: Larry Stylinson.
At the height of English-Irish boy band One Direction’s popularity, Larry Stylinson—the blended name of bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson—divided the group’s fan base in two. The “Larries” believed the two musicians were romantically involved. The “Anti-Larries” dubbed the allegation a conspiracy theory. Stimpson decided to explore the debate and look at its deeper implications. “I think fandom conspiracies can be related to more serious, political digital conspiracies. Larry Stylinson is symptomatic of the digital age and post-truth culture that we're living in,” Sally said.
Sally hypothesized that disinformation behind fandom controversies often reflects societal biases accepted as norms. In the case of Larry Stylinson, she asserted society’s bias toward heteronormativity contributed to the controversy. “Intimacy between male friends, and the issue of any physical intimacy between them is seen as inherently romantic… it can't just be a friendship,” she said. “I think it’s problematic.” Sally encourages everyone to take fandom conspiracy theories seriously and reflect on their greater implications for our society, as doing so might help expose harmful misconceptions.