Apologize in advance for how long this became….

I agree with a lot of what you say Anon.  I cannot and won’t debate the particulars of Liam’s relationships and whether he is actually a father to Cheryl’s child.  That’s not my business. I am not hung up on that particular relationship and do think they have been close.  My issue is not to debate whether something is true or not, related to what some call stunts. We aren’t meant to know for a reason… 

I am most upset about the blatant cruelty toward Liam, first and foremost. OT5 (and OT4 stans) will remember how much Liam always did for the band and for this fandom.  We called him Daddy Direction NOT just because he is literally “Daddy” but because he took care of all of us.  Remember after the hiatus, at the 2017 Brits when we were all DYING for a 1D red carpet moment (there were rumors OT4 were all in London)?  And it did not happen but 1D were up for Artist of the Year?  We all thought Satan was going to accept the award on the boys’ behalf when they of course won but then our hero…Liam…swooped in and accepted it for the guys and I was so endeared that even 18 months into a hiatus that we all were still having Liam come in and save us.

Fast forward to now…Liam has struggled.  He’s been forthcoming about the struggles he has had with alcohol and body image and mental illness both when he was in the band and then since leaving.  I have seen so few people supporting him in understanding and having compassion for those struggles.  Instead, I see judgement about his being given alcohol to do the Hugo photo shoot, judgment about a song on his album that, most likely, is about his own experiences with exploring the various facets of his own sexuality.  I’m not saying people can’t feel what they feel and be offended by things that any of the boys do.  I’m just saying that they write from their own experiences and it’s really likely that no one thought anyone would be offended by Both Ways.  if you were offended…I get it.  I’m just saying that you can take your offense and move on.  There are offensive things and imperfect people all around us.  We can’t constantly expect celebrities, who are imperfect people on their own growth journey, to have forethought everything that they could possibly say and how it may land with certain groups of people.

Bottom line…none of these boys is completely 100% unproblematic.  They all have said or done things in the not too distant past that has been a little or a lot cringe.  ALL OF THEM.  We could literally find something offensive about any of them, if we wanted to do so.  My suggestion….how about we stop comparing their solo and individual growth journeys to one another and just let them live?  If you are here only for Harry and Louis or just Niall…fine. Stay in those lanes.  If you are an OT5 fan like me, then please, for the love of God, use your critical thinking skills and compassion to figure out when something isn’t right with one of the boys’ situation.  No matter what you believe about Liam and his present contractual obligations or PR narrative, something isn’t right.  He deserves our support and love, even if he is sometimes a messy human.  I firmly believe in the Treat People With Kindness motto Harry has advocated for all of us to use. Kindness starts with yourself.  I have a quote hanging up by my desk…it says “It’s not your job to detox toxic people.  It’s your job to detox the part of you that resonates with their toxicity.”  Let’s work on ourselves first and let everyone else worry about their own selves. Lend support when you can…step back when you feel inclined to judge or be mean. Seems simple to me.If you read this far…I love you all.  Please have a great holiday season and Love Yourself!! Practice great self-care and reach out if you ever need anything.  My inbox and DMs are ALWAYS open and I’ll  talk to anyone about nearly anything at any time of day or night.

Always,