The Not So Secret Homoeroticism of Boy Band One Direction

Posted by Kevin Farrell on May 18, 2012 in Music | 37 comments

Honestly, I may be dating myself here (28!), but I have no clue who One Direction is. I thought maybe they were the Glad You Came guys, but that turned out to be a completely separate British boy band named The Wanted. Boo.

In any case, after four different UB readers sent us this reel of One Direction’s gayest moments, I finally broke down and watched it. And while they aren’t exactly doing body shots off one one another, these boys are awfully touchy.

They kiss, they hold hands, and they openly discuss which of their bandmates would make the best boyfriend and bedmate.

They’re cute. There, I said it. When I was a wayward gay youth, it was almost inconceivable that Lance Bass and J.C. Chasez would be caught snuggling on camera, even though C’MON! These boys are clearly quite fond of one another, and while to what degree exactly is uncertain, we should be celebrating the fact that the next generation of teens get to grow up fawning over a group of boys that aren’t scared to show affection to other boys.

So while I still have no clue who they are, I do think they are sweet. But by all means, feel free to fill the comments section with alternating quips about how boy bands suck or why One Direction is the best thing in the world and OMG how could I not know who they are?!

Smooch.

http://twitter.com/jeffstarke James Starke

I might start listening to these guys just because they’re awesome.
http://www.facebook.com/tdroxspin Angela Tucci

These guys are awesome!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000000370527 Charles Boykin

they are adorable!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Clay-Utley/1193131887 Clay Utley

They are cute but they sound good together in the clips of there songs
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/OGYRZVAZ5I5E5QZX6CWZO6FLIQ Tess

My bff is in LOVE with these guys, especially the one named “Louie”. I think their open displays of affection might have something to do with the fact that it’s more socially accepted in England than it is here in the U.S. I’m not a big fan of then, but if they wanna be all touchy and whatnot, more power to them.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=503614157 Debbie Spensley

One Direction is AWESOME. I’m an old fart of a gal but they are adorable boys and I just KNEW there was more to them…I just could tell. I can tell when I see love
http://www.facebook.com/Rathsmasen Jacob Dahlberg

I have no idea who they are.
http://twitter.com/LorriTiger243 Rebel

It’s that song that goes “you don’t know you’re beautiful. That’s what makes you beautiful.” Decent song. Cute kids.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000545710886 Chase Breckenridge

there british….young cute british boys seem like they would be super cute and touchy….and yeah there super cute, i would do them all.
http://www.facebook.com/g.alex.fox Khai Fox

They might be cute but that does not stop the bleeding of my ears.
http://www.facebook.com/pamela.e.herring ‘Pamela Eggert Herring

My daughter is totally bonkers over them and they have a great song called “What Makes You Beautiful”, that is climbing to the top of the charts here in the USA. They are adorable, but if what you say is true, my daughter will be broken hearted!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathleen-ONeill/1176707432 Kathleen O’Neill

I don’t know who they are, but then again, I was watching television when the Beatles made their debut, (not watching it by my choice, I wasn’t interested in them, but we only had one television, and Ed Sullivan was the show of the hour).

Interestingly, I only recently learned about the “Glad You Came” song, and every single time I hear it, I ask myself “What’s the name of that group again? I think it begins with a “W.”

I like boy bands, or at least I often like their music. Usually I would not recognize the members faces or names, but the same thing could be said for more than half of my fifty-odd first cousins. But I do like several of the Backstreet Boys songs, I just prefer not to think of who is singing them..

This particular group, though, from this picture, seems to be in a category beyond boy bands, and verging on jail bait boy bands. I fear that looking at them being touchy feely with one another, even with nary a glimpse of boy band flesh showing, might call the vice squad down upon my computer. Viewing these nymphs as homo-erotic is for me, uncomfortably teetering on the dark side of jail bait.

But hey, that’s just me. But on the bright side, I did rate that lovely “kissy face” picture you posted as a thank you to the president in the very small category of pictures I would caption with something like the “When Harry Met Sally” diner line.

”Um, I’ll have whatever they’re having.”
http://www.facebook.com/Jeskithegreat Jeski Adams

That… was cute. Music still sucks… but at least they don’t take themselves too seriously.
Anonymous

I’ve heard the song but never paid attention to who it was. They are adorable, in a kid way, not a when do they turn 18 way. Lol. But they just gained a new fan.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Angel-Waite/1270145027 Angel Waite

Am I the only one that thinks the one on the left side of the picture looks like a young Jason James Richter, at least in the face?
http://twitter.com/colibri_moko Petit Colibri

My straight friend, that I have a crush on and trying to bend , loves this band for some odd reason.
Phil Mata

Two minutes into it, I decided that past seven of a boy band acting feely-feely, touchy-touchy would be a waste of time. Would anyone be shocked if I said the front-man of One Direction was scared of The Wanted, wanting to rip ‘em a few new ones? They both suck, though.
http://www.facebook.com/Ozaku Dillon Perry

I would do all of them
http://www.facebook.com/people/Emma-Duncan/100002406599265 Emma Duncan

awww, well they are just adorable..
http://twitter.com/shellybort sb

um im 34 years old and have been massively obsessed with larry stylinson for at least 7 months. they make me feel like I’m 16 again. ITS WRONG. and soooooo right.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615572351 Michelina Percoco

They are adorable and their music is fun!
http://twitter.com/TheBippi Bry

More like One Erection! :X
http://www.facebook.com/todd.klopfer Todd Klopfer

I love to see boys so comfortable with their sexuality that they can show expressions of love without it being queer. I think the Brits do this better than us Yanks.
http://twitter.com/AnthonyPazos Anthony Pazos

Lol….. Even though the boys are very gay attacking let’s take into consideration that they are European and I know first hand because I’ve styled the groups hair they are not gay!!! Sorry.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Emma-Duncan/100002406599265 Emma Duncan

It’s like someone overturned a box of puppies…
http://twitter.com/stacie_sides Stacie Sides

I am a huge fan of One Direction, mainly for the fact that they are very talented singers and musicians, but also because they are all cute, quirky and fun loving. They aren’t actually gay but they do let guys know that it’s okay to affectionate towards other men and that bromances do exist. I recently discovered that all my guy friends have a bromance with at least one other person and they usually wouldn’t admit it if it wasn’t for the “bromance” concept becoming acceptable.
I say, be who you want to be! I love these 5 homosexuals that aren’t actually homosexuals
Anonymous

There is also the fact that younger girls totally dig guys who appear gay but who say they aren’t. I mean it’s practically every young girl’s fantasy to date a gay boy who likes girls. They get the sweet, compassionate, sensitive, fashionable, cutie with a heart of gold. So if these actually let their bromance show through, or even play it up, in order make those younger girls go wild then I say well played.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1443795670 Joey Lopez

I think this is more about American macho, male platonic affection isn’t that uncommon in the rest of the world.

http://www.facebook.com/askpikachu Ellie Isaac Summers

Agreed, America is the only lame country that doesn’t promote male affection.

http://profile.yahoo.com/DXGR4KKB6I72ISKE2RBC322K6Q Dustin

They weren’t born, raised, & conditioned to be anti affection towards other dudes. America is so hung up on “acting” gay. Their just close friends. Deal with it.
http://twitter.com/ImStepen Stepen

Contrary to the warped sense of the community life doesn’t end at 30.
Problem is people don’t realize it until the reach it.
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Preis/1539841525 John Preis

Similar to other posters, I think it’s simply a case of people conflating affection with active sexual behavior; in many parts of the UK/Europe, casual/playful male interaction (especially in the younger crowd) is not that unusual or strange — that’s more a U.S. hang-up. Could one or more of them be gay/whatever? Sure. But the above montage is not anything “incriminating”, as it were, and more than half of what they say/do is in jest. No big whoop.
http://www.facebook.com/thehaighter Travis Alan Haight

After doing my best to study up on today’s top 40, I kept on hearing one of their songs come on the radio all the time. In some cases, this is cause for me to be, “okay, this sucks,” but the fact that its catchy, campy, and the guys actually can sing well, I did look them up. Now, with learning what they’re about, how they basically blew away even the winner of the X factor 2010 competition and are doing much better at that, I think they are quite good.

Growing up, I was a closet fan of the boy bands (my generation was the one that saw all the girls in all of my classes obsessing over the Backstreet Boys, NSync, etc), even despite how where I grew up had very set unwritten rules of what was acceptable and “unacceptable” for boys to like. Then again, my town was so white bread growing up that one only had to hint they either liked such bands or make it known that they just may like, let alone own a Marilyn Manson album. Still, regardless of if it was “acceptable” or not, BSB and NSync in my opinion were and still are worth the praise they got, despite some obviously messed up marketing that the bands of that time were victim of.

Like, in an interview after he came out, Lance Bass mentioned that the marketing gurus, contracts and all of that that managed he and the rest of the boy bands forbade them from smoking, being caught in public holding a cigarette, an alcoholic beverage, or anything that might’ve been seen as “unclean” or forsaking their image, which was said to be thing that, just as much as singing talent, would drive kids to spend their allowance money on their CDs and for parents, who have the most purse power, to not forbid their kids from listening to said CDs. And, like, when Lance was ready to come out, he said that he was scared to death to do this, largely because it could put the future of he and his band mates in jeopardy, what with the conservative white bread population that was primarily buying his band’s records.

All I am thinking now is that, as it sounds like, One Direction’s management isn’t going the same route as they went with the NKOTB, BSB, NSYNC and other Lou Perlman and Disney-managed endeavors. Sounds like they are finally coming to realize that top 40 music has grown up, and that pop fans aren’t just teenie boppers anymore. Still, even if they don’t sell nearly as many as those that came before them, I am sure people would much rather see a band talking about being boyfriends with one another, and standing up in support of the GLBT community than a bunch of guys who have to fake it so some southern church-going bigot will buy their Hannah Montana-obsessed daughter the new BSB record.
chesky_division

I think most of it is an act the same way Asian boy bands play up the boylove angle but it does show that they are not afraid to give off the perception of being gay and it shows that there are a lot of ppl that are accepting of these “male relationships.”
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000981683562 Maria Clark

i would do em alll soooo sexy i dont think there gay:( but no no ??
harry mabe
http://twitter.com/VonLmo VonLmo

their managers are encouraging this rubbish in order to boost their publicity. In a few years time they’ll disavow this as a p.r. stunt….a la David Bowie, or state they were retroactively heterosexual a la Mitt Romney
Twilord

More than just being cuties, which they are, their music is cheesetastic (in the good way). They maybe from the naughties/teenies, but they have the vibe of the nineties.

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