FOOD FOR THOUGHT

These SNS posts, collaborations, dance challenges, and invitations to appear on their shows/WeLives— I know it may all seem like fun and games on the surface, but the reality of the K-pop industry, especially for those who came before BTS, has been anything but.

Despite my personal feelings about much of “K-pop,” I can’t help but ire how @BTS_twt, who had neither the protection of a powerful label nor the of influential seniors and their existing fandoms to shelter and guide them through the treacherous hallways of fame in their early years, have completely flipped the script over the last 7–8 years.

Unlike their seniors, who often kept their influence within their own circles, BTS has never limited their powerful reach to just the groups and artists from their own label. Instead, they continue to extend an olive branch to all of K-pop—sharing other groups with ARMY and embracing an industry that once ridiculed and shunned them. BTS knows they carry an entire industry on their backs, yet instead of being petty or hogging the limelight, as some would want you to think, they consistently choose to uplift those around them—with grace and kindness, not resentment.

It’s a testament to their character that, despite the hardships they endured—some of which we only learned about 10 years later through BTS: Beyond the Story—their response has never been revenge. Instead, they have created a quiet yet undeniable shift in power, one defined by grace and generosity rather than bitterness and vindictiveness.

—"Adversity does not build character; it reveals it” :purple_heart:

BTS PAVED THE WAY

#kpop

Credit: https://twitter.com/BaseLineWoo/status/1898631177763983674?t=_unamOnN2oePqJ2gSS5kxQ&s=19