Does Louis Tomlinson Management Stalker Show Image Manipulation?
One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is reportedly due to become a father early in the new year. Tomlinson is claimed to have had a brief relationship with L.A. stylist Briana Jungwirth back in May, and Briana’s pregnancy was the result. Rumors that Tomlinson was to become the first One Direction member to be a dad began to circulate in July, and Louis rather awkwardly confirmed the rumor during an interview on Good Morning America. Since then, Louis has not spoken a word about Briana or baby Tomlinson.
Of course, it is entirely possible that Louis wants to keep baby Tomlinson and the details of his relationship with Briana totally private, and that is understandable. The problem is that many of Tomlinson’s fans smell a rat. The story about Louis’ impending fatherhood was broken by Pete Samson, the U.S. editor of U.K. tabloid newspaper the Sun. Samson is married to Anne-Marie Samson, who is the head of global media for Simon Cowell’s SyCo and therefore ultimately responsible for Tomlinson and the rest of One Direction’s image.
Just weeks ago, a journalist for the Sun claimed that they had been banned from asking Louis any questions about baby Tomlinson.
“Louis’ baby and the details behind their decision to pull out of the Belfast gig are big no-nos, and we are warned that our time with the foursome will be cut short if we dare to go there.”
Most expectant fathers talk endlessly about their excitement when a baby is due, but Tomlinson has been strangely silent. Tomlinson has not said a word about Briana or baby Tomlinson since a couple of brief statements in August. Despite being a frequent target for the paparazzi, Louis has not been seen with Briana since some pictures emerged back in May. Just last weekend, it was reported in Inquisitr that Tomlinson and Briana would be visiting a West Hollywood baby store. Some poor quality photographs emerged of someone who might have been Briana with members of Tomlinson’s family.
Earlier today of Briana with Louis' family in LA. #Louis ?????????????? pic.twitter.com/A0tUVAL5RS
— 1D Updates (@1DCheckups) November 29, 2015
As a major music star and part of a billion dollar brand, Tomlinson’s image is carefully managed by Cowell’s SyCo and the management team at Modest Management. Many of Louis’ fans believe that their image is managed to the point that what they see is simply not believable. Many are convinced that Tomlinson’s image is manufactured to the point where fake girlfriends are invented to cover up the fact that he is in a gay relationship with Harry Styles.
The rumors that Tomlinson and Styles are a couple have been around for years in the One Direction fandom, and whilst they are unproven, they are certainly enduring. When the story emerged that Tomlinson was dating Eleanor Calder, eagle-eyed One Direction fans were intrigued to find that on numerous occasions a familiar face seemed to be seen when Louis was photographed on a date-night.
One popular theory is that Calder was in fact Tomlinson’s “beard,” an actress paid to play the part of Tomlinson’s girlfriend. The theory stems in part from a photograph taken of Tomlinson and Calder during the 2012 London Olympics. The first picture shows Tomlinson “kissing” Calder, who has her eye open and is looking directly at the camera. Sat directly behind Tomlinson appears to be Katy Ray. Eagle-eyed Tomlinson fans point out that Louis and Eleanor’s lips are not even touching, and they claim that in later versions of the image Eleanor’s eye appears to have been photoshopped closed.
We may never know the extent to which Tomlinson’s image is manipulated, but we can be certain that the speculation and conspiracy theories about Louis’ relationships are not going away any time soon. Many believe that Briana Jungwirth is Tomlinson’s latest “beard.”
[Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP]
