Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles: Did Rainbow Bondage Bear ‘Come Out’
One Direction stars Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles have openly addressed the topic of the infamous “Rainbow Bondage Bear” for the first time. The rainbow-colored bear was thrown on stage while One Direction played a show in Manchester, England, in 2014. Since then, the bear has made numerous appearances on stage at One Direction shows, and Tomlinson and Styles are believed to be the culprits behind the long-running insider joke.
The bear was dressed in bondage gear and sported a Village People-style mustache, and as time has gone on, the bear has been dressed in a variety of outrageous outfits. During One Direction’s recent London shows, the bear was joined by a second smaller companion. Both bears were dressed in wedding dresses and a photograph of gay comedian Larry Grayson was placed at their feet with a handwritten note that said “love Larry.”
As any fan of One Direction will know, it has long been rumored that Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are in a long-term relationship. Internet sleuths have been examining every picture, video, song lyric, and, of course, rumors for evidence that Tomlinson and Styles are a couple, and many fans believe that the rainbow bear is the strongest clue to date. Fans have dubbed the rumored relationship between Styles and Tomlinson as “Larry Stylinson,” and they are convinced that Louis and Harry are dropping heavy hints that they are a couple.
Yahoo Celebrity reported back in September that Styles and Tomlinson were “teasing Larry Stylinson” when the bears appeared dressed in wedding dresses. Some argue that the wedding dresses were simply a tribute to the passing of laws in the U.S. that made gay marriage legal. That may of be the case, but Styles and Tomlinson are usually much more up to date with the rainbow bear jokes.
For example, the bears appeared on stage with a pregnancy test kit and baby bottle just days after Tomlinson “confirmed” that he was to become a father.
An article in Yahoo Celebrity in October pointed to the theory that Tomlinson and Styles were behind Rainbow Bondage Bear’s antics. When the bear launched an official Twitter account, it started out with a countdown suggesting that whoever was behind the bear was about to “come out.” Eagle-eyed fans spotted a reflection in the bears sunglasses when a photo was taken. The reflection looked a lot like Louis in a Vans T-shirt, and the tattoos on his Tomlinson’s wrists were a dead giveaway. As soon as fans started to tweet the mishap, the picture was changed.
As a result, more fans than ever are convinced that Harry and Louis are behind the bears. Harry and Louis have maintained silence about the bear — until yesterday, that is.
Sugarscape report that when interviewed by Kiss FM backstage at the Jingle Ball, Harry, Louis, and the rest of the boys were asked directly about the bondage bear.
At around 1:20 in the video below, the question is asked. Harry looks panic stricken, glances at Louis, then at the ground and then at Liam before he licks his lips and starts to answer.
Louis seems to take a step backward as the camera zooms in on Harry. Harry then skirts around the issue, saying, “I believe it was thrown onstage by a fan and the crew kept it.”
When the camera zooms back out, Louis can be seen nodding his head and giggling. It must be said that Harry’s half-hearted denials that he knew nothing about the bear did not wash with Harry and Louis’ fans.
The bears went to Dallas with the guys for Jingle Ball! Judy Garland and Divine are also both referenced again. https://t.co/LsfImjfbta #RBB
— Becca (@BeccasAFan) December 2, 2015
Those fans who are convinced that Harry and Louis are behind the bears are now more convinced than ever that this is the case. It may be that Tomlinson and Styles are playing a long-running joke with their fans, but many are convinced that Harry and Louis are using the bears to pass the message that they are indeed a couple and that “Larry” is real.
[Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP]
