Originally published in Defunct Magazine (2021)

Beatlemania and Bieber Fever both swept their own nations, among many other nations, including ours, during the rise of their respective contagions: John, Paul, George, and Ringo of The Beatles, and Justin Bieber. That said, I don’t believe any level of exposure to Beatlemania or Bieber Fever could have prepared the world for the surge of the Directioner. In the summer of 2010, the Directioner rose to power. Directioners were categorized as a Harry Girl, a Niall Girl, a Zayn Girl, a Louis Girl, or a Liam Girl, yet these categorizations served as the Directioners’ sole difference; all five types of Directioner shared a deep bond and love for the boys of One Direction. These five Brits were thrust together by professional television talent scout Simon Cowell, and once they released their first album in 2011, there was no turning back. Over the course of the next five years, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne became household names all across the globe. While initially very much a bubblegum pop boy band, One Direction seemingly grew up right alongside their beloved Directioners. Primarily appealing to middle- and high-school aged girls early in their career with titles such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Everything About You” dominating their debut album, by the time they released their fifth and final album in 2015, sex and lust driven songs such as “Love You Goodbye” and “Temporary Fix” certainly resonated with their now post-pubescent fanbase.

For many fans, One Direction served as a sexual awakening. And for many of them, that awakening was fairly straightforward; these five men had awakened something within them that rendered them hopelessly attracted to the band. For many others, however, myself included, a different kind of awakening had occurred. It was no secret to true Directioners that there were plenty of instances of homoeroticism and sexual promiscuity amongst the five boys. Many fans were entirely convinced that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, despite Louis being in a committed relationship, were engaged in a passionate love affair for the duration of the band’s career. For many within the Directioner sphere, especially those who identified as Harry girls and even more so for those who identified as Louis girls, this was their first encounter with homosexuality that was welcomed, and even encouraged. While it was never confirmed that Harry and Louis were sexually involved, many held out hope. As time went on, the band announced their indefinite hiatus, and the pride movement was gaining steam, more and more true, original 2010 Directioners began emerging from the closet.

Personally, as the One Direction shrine in my bedroom at my parent’s house still stands strong, I view the band as truly integral in my own coming out process. I began to associate the girls in their love songs with the girls in my own life. “History”, along with pretty much every other track on their final album, was about my first girlfriend. My “crush” and obsession with Louis Tomlinson was deeply rooted in both the hope that he was somewhere along the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and the fact that he was a bit more effeminate than most men in 2010s popular culture, and I know that I’m not the only Louis girl for whom that is true.

Perhaps it is this instance of accidental activism for the LGBTQ+ community that sets One Direction and their fans apart from those of The Beatles or Justin Bieber. Girls who swooned over John, Paul, Ringo, George, and Justin did so because they envisioned them singing their lyrics directly to them. While that is most definitely the case with a large chunk of Directioners, many other Directioners swooned as they envisioned themselves singing One Direction’s lyrics right alongside those five boys, serenading the girl of their own dreams instead.