Friday Five: Genre

This week's Friday Five:

1. What gets an unfairly bad rap? I'm gonna go ahead and say it: the BTS ARMY. To the outsider (especially journalists who have done little to no research on BTS), BTS fans are seen as crazy, screaming teenage girls. We are almost always described this way. The general public see BTS as catchy pop music, fancy dance moves, and flashy clothes that only rabid teenage girls could appreciate. They don't see the the genius wordplay, the poignant themes, the important topics, and psychological analyses behind each and every song, album, and music video. They don't know about the, frankly, insane storyline of the BTS alternate universe, let alone the incredible imagination behind it. We are seen as dumb, naive, immature. I mean, yes, some of us are, but the average BTS fan is actually in his or her 20s to 30s. We are intelligent, rational human beings and have real jobs. I am double the age of some fans, and some are double my age. We all have very different backgrounds, whether ethnic or socio-economic. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, writers — you name it — in this fandom. We are fans of all ages, races, and genders. And that diversity is the beauty of the BTS fandom. Most importantly, we are a family, no matter how big we get or how different we are.
   
   To other K-pop fandoms, we are monsters. To them, we are liars that spread false information about other K-pop groups to start fan wars, we bulk-buy BTS albums to boost their sales, we "make up" achievements to make BTS seem superior. Many other fandoms hate us because of how successful BTS is. (I suppose you can always gauge how successful someone is by how many haters they have.) But what these other fandoms don't realize is that we don't have to do any of that petty bullshit. Whether they accept it or not, BTS has paved the way for their favourites. BTS has been called "the Beatles of the 21st century" not just because of the sheer size of their fanbase, but because of the incredible cultural impact they have. Perhaps if these other fandoms gave as much energy, focus, devotion, time, and love into their own idols, they could be as successful. After all, musicians are only as powerful as the fans that back them. And our fandom was named ARMY for a reason.
   
   
2. What's something you've done to jazz up your routine? Well, I now use one of these head bands when washing my face every morning, and not only do they help me keep my hair out of my face (especially the annoying baby hairs), but they are also super cute so they make me just a tiny bit happier every morning.
   
   
3. When did you last have your mettle tested? Yesterday. At work. When you work a job in which you have to deal with strangers, your mettle is always tested.
   
   
4. What's something you were once — but are no longer — hardcore into? Screamo.
   
   
5. What are some porch swings, tire swings, or rope swings you've known? I've never had a porch swing. And I've never been on a rope swing. But there was a tire swing in the neighbourhood park where I lived when I was a kid, and it was my favourite thing, ever. I didn't need the jungle gym when there was a good tire swing.