Bandana Project
| Event | |
|---|---|
| Event: | Bandana Project |
| Participants: | The Bandana Project |
| Date(s): | Summer 2014 |
| Type: | fan project |
| Fandom: | One Direction |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Bandana Project was started in the summer of 2014 by some fans during the North American Leg of the OTRA tour.[1] The aim of the project was for fans to show their love for their favorite member or members by wearing a color-coded bandana.
The colors assigned are based on the bandmembers' color-coded microphones, which were well known to 1D fans: Harry Styles was green, Zayn Malik was yellow, Liam Payne was red, Louis Tomlinson was blue, and Niall Horan was white. (Niall's mic color was the Irish flag, but this bandana pattern would be harder to find.)
It is unclear how successful the project was. Its main legacy is inspiring a Larrie fan theory.
Harry Styles's Blue Bandana
At the August 22, 2014, OTRA show fans noticed that Harry Styles wore a blue bandana around his neck. As tumblr user genuinelybelieve remarked a few days later, "Basically, were he participating in the Bandana Project, he would be declaring that Louis is his favorite member of 1D."[2] One Direction fans who believe that Harry and Louis are in a secret romantic relationship in real life were captivated by this incident in part because they saw it as evidence for the relationship being real.
Larries made a connection between the bandana project and Harry's blue bandana[3], and started speculating in earnest about whether it was possible that he would have known about the project. Lots of people concluded probably not and that it was just a cute coincidence. However, fan speculation about the bandana grew, and Harry kept wearing blue bandanas.[1] [2] [3] [4] As of 2021 some fans still enjoy sharing collections of photos with Harry in the bandanas.[4]
![[1]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3499aa6a56dbd6c9aa683648493d7147/tumblr_inline_nb5kdbKx0W1sd8fsl.png){kind=link}
![[2]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8ce2432bff9af11a5961233eba4de4b7/tumblr_inline_nb5ketJu1G1sd8fsl.png){kind=link}
![[3]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/399913212c715a864e7a527ae2ddf437/tumblr_inline_nb5ko6NBJW1sd8fsl.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/399fb6daeb56c17cdf86af3033086836/tumblr_inline_nb5kn6a8RT1sd8fsl.jpg){kind=link}
Many larries said that there was no way that Harry didn't know about all the bandana speculation. So they concluded that either he didn't care if fans thought that he was proclaiming with a blue bandana that Louis was his favorite, or he was out there proclaiming with a blue bandana that Louis was his favorite.
anti-larries were also aware of and commented on the theory. When an anon asked why, if Harry and Louis were bothered by larrie theories, they didn't avoid wearing the items of clothing being theorized about, portraitofalarryonfire argued that it was unlikely that they knew all the details of fan speculation and that furthermore "even if Harry has some level of awareness that larries think the blue bandana has meaning, as an example, why would you speak about it as if its his duty to alter his life and his preferences for them?"[5]
Links
- What is the bandana thing? I don't get why the blue bandana is so significant?, Archived version, ask answered by genuinelybelieve, 31 August 2014
- What is this whole thing about the blue bandana?, Archived version, explainer by daysundercover, 16 September 2014
- That Damn Blue Bandana: A Timeline, Archived version by bulletprooflarry, 13 January 2015
- archive of daysundercover's post, Archived version, by larriearchive, 30 August 2017
References
- ^ What is the bandana thing? I don't get why the blue bandana is so significant?, Archived version, anon ask answered by genuinelybelieve, 31 August 2014. As of 7 November 2021, the tumblr post has 7175 notes.
- ^ anon ask answered by genuinelybelieve, 31 August 2014, reblogged by heartshaped-lou. (Accessed 26 October 2022.)
- ^ post comparing a Bandana Project flyer and a concert photo of Harry wearing a blue bandana, Archived version, by tumblr user 22tops, 22 August 2014. As of 30 October 2021, the post has 2073 notes.
- ^ harry styles & the blue bandana project, Archived version, tumblr post by wdbhgooo, reblogged bluewinnerangel, 1 June 2021. (Accessed 30 October 2021.)
- ^ tumblr ask answered by portraitofalarryonfire, Archived version, 15 October 2021. (Accessed 30 October 2021.)