Love Yourself

No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak for Kim Namjoon (whose stage name is RM). In September 2018, the Korean pop (K-pop) band spoke before the United Nations to promote their self-love campaign. BTS was the first Korean boy band ever to address the UN. The three-minute speech during the launch ceremony of UNICEF’s global partnership Generation Unlimited BTS encouraged the youth to believe in themselves. The month before, BTS partnered with UNICEF launching the ‘Love Yourself’ campaign. “True love begins with loving yourself,” said Namjoon in the UN press statement.

BTS, the Korean boy band, consisting of seven members, V, Jungkook, RM, Suga, Jimin, J-Hope and Jin, formed in 2013. Since then, they have been making waves in the pop industry, breaking major records, receiving numerous RIAA gold certifications, charting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and selling out stadiums within two hours. Their latest album, “Map of the Soul: Persona,” broke the record for the most number ones on Korean charts, forecasted to get No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 as well as breaking record, for the most viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours with their music video “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. These feats are unheard of as the band sings only in Korean with occasional phrases in English.

The typical K-pop artist has what Korean society sees as the “perfect body and face” and are held to extremely high standards, with members often undergoing extensive plastic surgery to keep up with beauty ideals. Even if BTS doesn’t break the perfection mold in terms of their look, they do it relation to their messaging. Unlike other bands in the genre who have been engineered for success, BTS writes and produces many of their own songs and are adamant about remaining authentic. While K-pop bands are known for perfect looks, synchronized choreography and trendy outfits, BTS goes above and beyond, often using their platform to speak out about sensitive matters.

In South Korea, politics and pop-culture typically remain separate. However, the band doesn’t let societal pressures of keeping up with a squeaky-clean ideal stop them from standing up for what they believe in. BTS discuss topics beyond the repetitiveness of love and heartbreak that is often heard in pop music. The band’s lyrics speak out about mental health, self-love, challenging bureaucracy, suicide, the K-pop idol stereotype-system and female empowerment.

In December 2017, BTS member Suga said in an interview with Billboard, “If we know that everyone is suffering and lonely, I hope we can create an environment where we ask for help and say things are hard when they’re hard, and day we miss someone when we miss them.”

“In Korea, there is no mental health,” says Korean-American mental health professional Jin-Hee. She further explains in an interview with Forefront that one with mental health symptoms is seen as “weak” or “crazy” and must overcome these symptoms. “It is not a clinical issue in Korea. It is, rather, seen as a burden on a family’s reputation,” she says.

The suicide rate in South Korea is one of the highest in the world. Thirty-six South Koreans commit suicide every day, according to a report from Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. RM and Suga opened about their mental health and struggles in their mixtapes. In the mixtape Agust D, Suga talks about his battle with depression, OCD and social anxiety that has plagued his life. During their Entertainment Weekly interview, Suga explains it’s important for people who have platforms to speak out. “if they talk about it openly—if they talk about depression for example like it’s the common cold, then it becomes more and more accepted if it’s a common disorder like the cold. More and more, I think artists or celebrities who have a voice should talk about these problems and bring it up to the surface.”

The most significant breakthrough for the band was after the release of their album series “Love Yourself,” a groundbreaking record advocating self-love and acceptance. While the group champions self-love, they are also vocal about the acceptance of others. South Korean culture can be intolerant of the LGBT community, and they often face hate and isolation from society. Although the LGBT community is a taboo topic in Korea, BTS have openly expressed support for them. Back in 2013 the group’s leader, RM, tweeted out his admiration for the song,

“Same Love”, by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, stating, “This is a song about homosexuality. The song is twice as good when I listen to the lyrics.” When asked about the tweet during an interview with, Suga replied, “There’s nothing wrong. Everyone is equal.”

The group makes a point to incorporate gender-neutral terms in their songs, making fans feel included and acknowledged. The members are not afraid of challenging traditional gender roles, and it’s common to see them embracing their more “feminine” side, breaking loose from notions of masculinity that society imposes on men. By being themselves and embracing diversity, they encourage others to do the same.

Because of BTS’s genuine commitment to inclusivity and self-love, they have amassed a huge amount of fans, spanning across nationalities, gender, religion and sexualities. They are known as ARMY, and they are fiercely loyal to the band, often camping out before events and filling up massive venues.

For their fans, BTS is not just a band of good-looking men, rather, a group who have helped them feel loved, happy, encouraged them to love themselves and even saved them from dark times with the messages in their music.

Jenna Hannan says she is a fan of BTS because of how real and open they are, “They make incredible, thought-provoking music that reflects their views and opinions on real issues like mental health, society, self-identity, all while maintaining this positive, embracing vibe, that can draw anyone in.”

For Cindy Friebertshäuser, a 20-year-old from Germany, becoming a fan of BTS was natural, as they talked about real issues they experienced themselves. Friesbertshäuser said, “BTS is an inspiration. They set an example we, in my opinion, should all follow. Be kind. It’s okay to struggle. Put yourself first. Get out of toxic relationships. Since I’ve become a fan, I’ve been way happier. BTS isn’t just some band, they really want to make the world a better place.”

The band keeps not only breaking K-pop stereotypes but also Korean stereotypes by discussing issues many steer clear of. They give their fans a sense of belonging and acceptance, a safe space which some of them don’t have during their everyday lives.

Although the band’s numbers are growing every day, their success is not self-serving. With a commitment to promoting positivity and acceptance amongst everyone who listens to their music, they are changing what it means to be a K-pop star. Their international success proves that BTS has reached a global audience. BTS has lead the way for other K-pop bands to break into the western market and has encouraged other them to be more transparent with their fans about their struggles and opinions. BTS is pushing the limits of what K-pop is allowed to be, and they will continue to speak out about the need for openness and honesty in Korean society.

By Samira Safarzadeh