BTS Fandom

BTS Fandom

Reposting again... BTS love each other. You cannot sincerely say you love one member of BTS then hate and damage another member who they love and call family. That is not love.

I found BTS rather late but have spent a lot of time catching up with content - original content.  There is some older content that is not my cup of tea and some that is very cringy to me. Much of that was before they had a better footing about what they were and were no longer willing to do.  However, overall you can learn something about human nature or about the guys and their talents and relationships with each other in all of the footage they have released. The more I learn about them and their journey, the more impressed I am with them and all that they endured, did, and achieved.

The most disappointing thing about BTS is how can a group that drew me in with their positivity and acceptance have a fandom that is so ... rough?  I am an older adult and have never experienced a fandom like this. I don't even get into the battles that I witness and it still feels a bit stressful to navigate around the infighting, harsh comments, arguing that I see.  With the strength and support I've seen BTS' fans used to help the guys succeed throughout their career, I am certain the majority of the fans are passionate, loving, well-meaning supporters, but squeaky wheels get the oil, as they say, and I wonder how BTS fans are seen from the outside, if I, on the inside, am stunned and discouraged at times by the activity.  

Granted, unlike the Internet era, fans before couldn't communicate as much with each other within the fandom. This means that outside forces would also not have had as many opportunities to infiltrate the fandom and negatively affect the atmosphere. We also never were allowed into the lives and world of the entertainers before the way BTS has let us into theirs.  Sadly, if I were an entertainer today, I think I would learn from watching BTS and perhaps not expose as much to the public. That is sad because responsible and caring fans would miss out on really getting to know their favorite artist. The artist would miss out on the positive, motivating connections with their true fans. Also, it is probably not even the majority of BTS' fans that are causing the stink and, in fact, some of the noise, I believe, is from people not even fans of BTS at all. There have always been people wanting to sabotage BTS' progress and achievements.  

I do wish the company and BTS had been more proactive in addressing the fandom's toxic side throughout the decade, but I blame the company more than the guys. They were busy and young and were pioneering their path as it happened. They had no other examples to follow.  The company seemed to walk a tightrope between benefitting from the toxicity (and sometimes overexposure) and trying at times to at least act as though they were protecting their financial assets.  Even now, with BTS' legacy firmly in place, I do not see the company leaning in to aggressively help bring some peace or at least expectations to the forefront. It's possible they've done more than I realize. I am only speaking from what I can tell. Anyway, I hope that this break for military service gives not only the guys time to reset, develop, and strengthen, but I hope it also gives the fandom time to reset, cleanse, and unite for the sake of BTS and all they have worked to establish.

I'm looking forward to a Chapter 3 with everyone on the same footing of *fighting* for BTS's longevity & continued success rather than fighting each other.

A MUST SEE in dept analysis on Jimin's Production Diary.

Show this to any "army" who dares to discredit Jimin's hard work.

BTS + MEMBERS MAMA NOMINATIONS

Congratulations, BTS! 💜 Congratulations, Jimin! 💜💜

BTS at the MAMA Awards 2023

BTS bagged two awards on Day One. When they won the Worldwide Icon of the Year award they became the first group to win a Daesang while on hiatus.

RM thanked everyone on Weverse.

On Day Two the wins kept on coming. Yoongi won for Best Rap and Hip Hop Performance, Jungkook won with Seven for Best Collaboration and Best Solo Male Dance Performance and BTS won Best OST with The Planet.

However, the highlight of the night for me as a Jimin biased ARMY was his win as Best Male Artist.

Jimin came to Weverse using the royal we to thank ARMY on behalf of himself, JK, Yoongi and the rest of BTS.

I know the award meant a lot to him. I'm so happy that his endeavours this year have been recognised in this way.

IG Posts, Twitter Post

Post Date: 29/11/2023

I feel the need to post this every so often lately.

BTS Fandom

I found BTS rather late but have spent a lot of time catching up with content. There is some older content that is not my cup of tea and some that is very cringy to me. Much of that was before they had a better footing about what they were and were no longer willing to do. However, overall you can learn something about human nature or about the guys and their talents and relationships with each other in all of the footage they have released. The more I learn about them and their journey, the more impressed I am with them and all that they endured, did, and achieved.

The most disappointing thing about BTS is how can a group that drew me in with their positivity and acceptance have a fandom that is so ... rough? I am an older adult and have never experienced a fandom like this. I don't even get into the battles that I witness and it feels a bit stressful to navigate around the infighting, harsh comments, arguing that I see. With the strength and support I've seen BTS' fans used to help the guys succeed throughout their career, I am certain the majority of the fans are passionate, loving, well-meaning supporters, but squeaky wheels get the oil, as they say, and I wonder how BTS fans are seen from the outside, if I, on the inside, am stunned and discouraged at times by the activity.

Granted, unlike the Internet era, fans before couldn't communicate as much with each other. Therefore outside forces also would not have had as many opportunities to infiltrate the fandom and negatively affect the atmosphere. We also never were allowed into the lives and world of the entertainers before the way BTS has let us into theirs. Sadly, if I were an entertainer today, I think I would learn from watching BTS and perhaps not expose as much to the public. That is sad because responsible and caring fans would miss out on really getting to know their favorite artist. The artist would miss out on the positive, motivating connections with their true fans. Also, it is probably not even the majority of BTS' fans that are causing the stink and, in fact, some of the noise, I believe, is from people not even fans of BTS at all. There have always been people wanting to sabotage BTS' progress and achievements.

I do wish the company and BTS had been more proactive in addressing the fandom's toxic side throughout the decade, but I blame the company more than the guys. They were busy and young and were pioneering their path as it happened. They had no other examples to follow. The company seemed to walk a tightrope between benefitting from the toxicity (and sometimes overexposure) and trying at times to at least act as though they were protecting their financial assets. Even now, with BTS' legacy firmly in place, I do not see the company leaning in to aggressively help bring some peace or at least expectations to the forefront. It's possible they've done more than I realize. I am only speaking from what I can tell. Anyway, I hope that this break for military service gives not only the guys time to reset, develop, and strengthen, but I hope it also gives the fandom time to reset, cleanse, and unite for the sake of BTS and all they have worked to establish.

I'm looking forward to a Chapter 3 with everyone on the same footing of *fighting* for BTS' longevity & continued success rather than fighting each other.

Chameleon Park Jimin 2

~ Written after seeing several people expressing resistance to Jimin evolving over time ~

The company itself was new and struggling, so they didn't have much in the way of space or food, so resources were spread thin and these young men were often left to their own devices to figure things out. On one hand, it gave them a degree of freedom other companies did not allow; On the other hand, there was likely a great deal of uncertainty day by day. Everyone understood that a lot would have to be done and contributed in order to even hope that this group could succeed.

The group soon debuted, but in spite of their hard work and discipline, it was slow going to gain recognition. They were treated poorly by the KPop industry and peers. They lacked the resources to do some of the things other groups had in order to gain fans and attention. They had to find creative ways to stand out with both their impressive stages as well as with memorable performers and performances. Hip hop Jimin was now transformed into a multiple hair-colored, prettier, more delicate Jimin. Jimin was now at least gaining practical experience with dancing, performing, singing, and style in real time. Each opportunity increased his understanding of what was needed to make a difference on stage, and his efforts were noticed. Not only was he breathtakingly beautiful but he was a stand out for his dance movements and his unusual voice that he was still working to find his comfortable range and abilities.

After a few years BTS began gaining popularity and recognition.  Jimin was often singled out (3 minutes) for his dance, voice and/or appearance.  All the members were improving and adjusting as they discovered what worked for them and the group. The more successful the group became, the further from the plain Busan boy Jimin got.  In the song Like Crazy, from his first solo album, FACE, Jimin sang, “All my reflections I… can’t even recognize.” In addition to other possible meanings, I immediately felt Jimin may have been referring to all the different styles and looks he had morphed into throughout the years.  He played (or was asked to play) the role of the sexy, energetic, confident pop star for the group.  Off stage, he and others have described him as shy with strangers, kind, quiet, and mature.  For a while I was very confused by the contrast of those two images.  While I do still think Jimin is confident, funny, and energetic, over time I came to better understand how those two Jimin’s are actually one in the same person.  Imagine this brown-eyed, brown-haired, shy, Kendo-trained boy looking in the mirror and seeing the somewhat effeminate blonde-, blue-, purple-, orange-, pink-haired guy with green, blue, gray eyes looking back. Imagine him watching the playback of performances and seeing himself do things on stage that - even though he may not have minded being seductive and flirtatious in private - garnered cheers and approval out in public in front of huge audiences.

Not to mention Jimin was learning social cues and behaviors in real time by trial and error.  He was testing his own boundaries and figuring out what he would and would not feel comfortable continuing to do in public, as were all the members.  However, due to this outgoing stage persona he took on, Jimin’s exploration was sometimes more public and more notable than the others. In addition, the reactions to him were becoming more and more polarized and extreme, no matter how big or small the action. (To show what I mean by the stage persona vs. the real life persona, I recall in the behind the scenes VCR of BTS filming the 3rd muster: House of Army, Jimin was assigned the role of the flirtatious dog, Cuty. He had to wink and flirt with others in the script. Jimin committed to it, as he did with everything he was assigned, but commented to the camera that he never winked at anyone and wasn’t sure how to do it or how it turned out.  [Aside: He did a very good job.] But he wasn’t a young, young boy at that time, yet winking and flirting were foreign to him.] It’s sweet and telling. [Aside #2: He got far better at it over time.])

Keep in mind that all of this was happening while Jimin was growing up himself as a regular human too.  He was finding out who he was and how he wanted to present himself and what he believed.  He wanted to succeed and found that he had the goods to help his team do just that.  I feel that there were times that in an effort to shore himself up to face all that he was doing, he had to put on a shell, a coat that not only protected his softer, gentler heart but also motivated him to present things outside of his comfort zone.  I feel sometimes that shell rubbed people who didn’t understand the wrong way, possibly even people close to him at times. Not only was Jimin operating a good distance from how he felt comfortable being normally, but he was also asked to do strenuous choreography while singing in a voice that still wasn’t as stable and reliable as he would have liked in live performances.  His outstanding performances were continually increasing the audience’s expectations of what he would present on stage or in videos.  I can understand when he implies that he was losing himself. He was losing that brown-eyed, brown-haired, grounded - but determined - guy from Busan.

See Chameleon Park Jimin 3.