7 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a BTS Fan [very late in the game]
So when I first started getting into BTS, which I explain a little about here, I was literally like: “GOD THEY ARE SO PRETTY.” *googles: hOw tO TeLL bTs ppL aParT??*
I have journeyed far since then — deep into the kaleidoscopic hive of BTS fandom, losing sense of space, time, and all memory of my former colorless, falsetto-less, combat-boots-less, empty life where music was just a thing you listened to.
I also have learned a considerable amount of stuff I either did not heretofore know ABOUT MYSELF, or had never imagined existed in the WORLD. And here I give you, in no particular order:
Magical Shit I’ve Learned About Myself & The World Thanks to BTS:
(7 things because 7 is the number of BTS — as is “eternal” which describes how many hours we are willing to spend on them.)
1. Under the right conditions, I — a 31-year-old adult woman — will watch hours (literally hours) of YouTube content in Korean, a language I neither speak nor understand.
Because I am a Millennial (ie not Gen Z), before BTS entered my life I was unaware that videos longer than 2 minutes and 59 seconds existed to be watched outside of academia, and I experienced YouTube the way Boomers do, essentially a place to rewatch Fallon highlights and Weekend Update. Now I will see 29:00 minutes of an amateur compilation of music video highlights made in Adobe titled “20 times Jimin’s hips made us cry” and be like “Great, I’ll do A FEW OF THESE BEFORE BREAKFAST.”
2. BTS does not equal all K-Pop, and a lot of BTS stans are only BTS stans…
…including Yours Truly (though that’s mostly because I don’t have time to explore other K-Pop when I could be exploring endless BTS content ALL of the time). I could go on about this for a loooong time but let’s just leave it at “BTS is SPECIAL okay they ARE, BYE.”
BTS had a lot of haters in the Korean hip-hop and IDOL worlds, for not fitting into either mold. They expressed a more authentic experience than many IDOL groups, which are known for extravagantly fabricated personas, sets, music videos, etc; but they also were quintessential K-Pop Idols — they wore makeup and danced and were created by a production company so weren’t seen as proper hip-hop, which is typically defined by its anti-authoritarian spirit.
BTS broke into stardom internationally almost before being fully accepted in the K-Pop world. There was something in their songs that had all this powerful raw youthful emotion, authenticity, vulnerability, individuality that spoke to international audiences — and according to some, created a new kind of K-Pop. Fans say BTS gives them the emotional support and encouragement to live more honest, connected lives.
(Am I — a mature, spiritual, self-aware graduate of hours of therapy — one of those fans who is learning self-love from twenty-something-aged superstars? No comment.)
3. “Jungkook is a bias wrecker” — is a coherent sentence. (And other lingo!)
So, yes, along with Korean vocab like “aegyo” and “maknae” (more to come on that), I learned the terms “bias” and “bias wrecker.”
Basically it means what it sounds like — your “bias” is the one you are “biased” towards, aka your favorite of the members of the group. OBVIOUSLY fans are obsessed with ALL SEVEN members, but most pick their specific bias. It’s exactly like when you were kids and you all picked which Power Ranger you were and which you wanted to f*** (but you didn’t use that word).
(I swear though, I was watching one of those fan videos referenced above and this girl was like “Jin is my bias” and then two minutes later she said it was Suga with no further explanation, so I can only assume that people be lyin’ and cheatin’ out here. I WOULD NEVER CHEAT ON MY BIAS.)
A “bias wrecker” is a member who is NOT your bias but whose charms and/or sex appeal occasionally chip away at your fidelity. Any of the seven BTS members could be a bias wrecker, although I feel like I’ve noticed it attributed to Jungkook and V/Taehyung a lot, which honestly makes a ton of sense because have you seen them.
4. MY BIAS IS JIMIN!!!
If Jimin isn’t your bias, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING. Jimin stans include this very elderly grandma, Colombian football players, and most babies. Also I’ve also heard MANY straight males say they would bear children for Jimin so that’s all strong support for my camp. Honestly I am a straight female and Jimin is so attractive he makes me question MY sexuality which doesn’t even make sense.
If I was to pick a bias wrecker, it would be V/Taehyung (hot, adorable) and/or J-Hope (BECAUSE HE IS OUR HOPE FOR WORLD PEACE THAT’S ALL). Don’t know if this is a real thing, but I learned recently that the three of them (Jimin, V, and J-Hope) make up the “Sunshine Line,” meaning the very gregarious ones, so maybe that’s my bias, but more on the “lines” next.
There’s also a very considerable #VMIN stan group, who obviously stan the two as a couple. (If you haven’t been around the internet for the past 20 years, let me explain: the internet puts celebrity couple names together. There is a stan account for nearly every combination of BTS members: Vmin, Taekook, Jikook, Jihope, etc.)
But Jimin, don’t worry, nothing can knock you from your beautiful, talented, feathery, delicate, alluring, flawless, glittery, powerful throne. #ProtectJimin!!
5. I learned that one way K-Pop bands are organized is by “lines.”
A line is basically a group within the group who specialize in a specific skill — or in some cases, it just means all members who share something in common (like a last name).
So, let’s start with the obvious ones:
The Vocal Line (Jin, V, Jimin, Jungkook) are the ones who sing.
The Rap Line (RM, Suga, J-Hope) are the rappers.
The Dance Line (Jungkook, Jimin, J-Hope, and more recently V) is slightly more confusing to newbies since all seven dance better than anyone else we know, but the Dance Line are the primary and most skilled dancers. They also help teach the others choreography, I’m pretty sure. (Skills background: J-Hope started off as a street dancer before training with their company, Jimin was a top student at a dance school, and Jungkook I honestly don’t know why he’s so good but he’s one of those people who are annoyingly talented and coordinated at everything they do so there’s that.)
Other examples of lines are the “Maknae Line” and the “Hyung Line,” more on that in the next point.
6. [Forgive me for butchering this explanation, I’m trying to learn!] I’ve learned about age/birth order being really important in Korean culture. (Good job, white girl. FML.) The terms “maknae” and “hyung” are the most obvious expression of this for a Western observer/newbie.
“Maknae” is a term for the youngest person in a group. “Hyung” is a Korean honorific title used by a younger male to call an older male sibling or friend. Both terms, but especially “hyung,” are used as a title instead of the person’s name. I feel like I noticed (in the growing hours of fan videos I’ve consumed on YouTube) a lot of times the older ones just call the younger ones by their name but with “ie” at the end maybe??? Like “Jungkookie” or “Jiminie”? (Is that a thing in Korean??? Or did I just read too much Russian literature in high school and am drawing nonexistent comparisons????)
Certain behaviors seem to be expected depending on your birth order — the elder are expected to look after the younger, for example paying for meals if needed, or at least offering (like in Western culture how men are still expected to pay for dates?). And the younger ones are expected to be a bit more chaotic but to show respect to the elder always. Gross oversimplification, but you get the gist.
