Hi! It’s Annie!
We’ve had a few updates on ‘Proof’; by the time this releases I’m sure there will be plenty more that I haven’t talked about. But the major piece I want to cover today is BTS at the White House. I don’t think pride even slightly covers what I felt at their appearance. They continue to be completely good hearted, well spoken, and a fixture of hope for so many of us. On top of that, we have more pictures regarding ‘Proof’ in various amazing styles with a lot of theories behind some of them. And even more than that, we’ve gotten more first hand accounts of how the BTS boys are behind the scenes from someone who worked in wardrobe during the ‘ON’ MV. This only included a few accounts of the members, but I wanted to talk about it because it warmed by heart to read! So, without further ado, I will just get right into it!
The White House:
BTS appeared at the very beginning of the press conference and if any of them were at all nervous, you absolutely couldn’t tell. They walked in at the very start, and all of them looked pretty intimidating standing around the podium. The image itself seemed to still the entire conference room before they spoke. And though they only spoke for a short while, their message came across. They not only spoke on their heartbreak over Asian hate crimes and the incredible importance of addressing them, but also talked about the growing number of all hate crimes. They expanded their speech to advocate for the protection of all minority groups, and their message was felt by watchers and a crowd of people who seemed to be stunned at the seven men standing in front of them. I would be too! At the very end of their speech several reporters yelled out questions, though they were cut off and the boys left not long afterwards. Personally, I felt a good amount of satisfaction seeing that the press wasn’t really allowed to ask questions. I don’t generally trust any form of American interviewers with BTS, especially not political interviewers. But Namjoon very cutely apologizing for not being able to answer questions causing himself and the room to laugh was a highlight for me. Our leader can be dead serious one second and adorably endearing in the next. Each member of BTS spoke so well and I also want to give the translator a shout out for translating in both Korean and English. I can’t even describe how proud I am among so many other strong feelings to see them up there and advocating for a better world. They give us so much hope and I’m sure things like this are nerve-wracking and difficult for them. They did so incredibly well! I seriously almost cried seeing them surround that podium. And I can’t stop thinking about the face Yoongi made when he saw those notes. It was hilarious!
Backlash: I want to talk for a minute about the very privileged backlash that has come out regarding BTS’s speech and overall appearance at the White House. Some American representatives were apparently outraged at their general appearance and talked about how if they were there then they should have had opinions on issues like gas prices and border security (???). To which I would say; why? They were not there to discuss those issues, they were invited to a conference to specifically talk about the issues involving Asians. If you’re going to complain at least read the hundreds of articles that detail why they were there in the first place. Just read. On top of this, several people have said that they can’t talk about racism in the US if they don’t live here. Again I ask; why??? They’ve experienced racism in America to an alarming degree and they’ve spent a good amount of time here. They’ve been called every racist term in the book by radio hosts, interviewers, and even politicians. Can Asians not talk about the racism that they face here if they don’t live here permanently? What about international students? Not only that, but they were talking about the rise of Asian hate crimes everywhere due to the racist blame by mostly white people that has happened as a result of Covid. This is a problem that isn’t just happening in America, it is happening internationally, and it is very Americanly ignorant for all of these people in the US to narrow their vision to only the country they live in. It’s funny how much people would learn if they only did a simple internet search.
‘Proof’ Concept Photos:
We’ve seen a lot of different kinds of concept photos for the upcoming album and the duality of the boys here is nothing short of breathtaking. From the angelic photos with the beautiful see-through fabrics, to the dark costumes that emanate their very first looks. The shields with bullet holes in them have specifically been garnering attention. Each member has a different amount of damage on their particular shield. Namjoon seems to have the most bullet holes of everyone’s, prompting people to say that this may represent the fact that the bullets have to go through the leader first in order to then get to the other members. Many also talked about how Namjoon used to not translate bad comments to the others or, in some interviews, even translated the hateful comments into good things instead. Yoongi also seems to have a fair few bullet holes in his which some have connected to his past struggles that he’s been very open about sharing. Taehyung also has a fair few, though they are more scattered. Jimin’s shield is one of the most startling with not only bullet holes in his, but also massive tears in the shield itself. If these tears do represent struggles, I wouldn’t assume anything as Jimin hasn’t really talked about this. Meaning, it isn’t really for us to talk about. Jungkook, Hobi, and Jin have fewer bullet holes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t struggled. In fact, it doesn’t mean that at all. While it is fun to theorize about what these concept photos could mean, it is also important to not diminish other members’ struggles because of what you perceive these concept photos to stand for. All of these are fan theories, they haven’t been confirmed. We’ll only know for certain if the boys choose to talk about these photos eventually. But it is fun to see how much interaction and attention these photos have been getting because of fan theories! It’s also nice to see a couple of call backs to their debut. For example, Namjoon has two shaved lines that mirror a part of his hairstyle from their debut. The angelic photos are amazing as well, I especially have to shout out Jungkook who’s styled hair absolutely came for me when these photos were released. And Hobi’s poses only look more and more stunning with each and every photoshoot. They all look so good! It really isn’t fair!
Seeing BTS in Person:
Someone who worked in wardrobe on the ‘ON’ MV has recently come out to talk about some specific members. While the anonymous worker was working on costuming, she seemed to have a few interactions with some of the members. She had seen all of them, and commented that they all were breathtaking in person, but she only (as of writing this post) had something to say about three of the members specifically. She said that she helped specifically on Jimin’s costume, that she thought she had messed up with distressing the costume too much, but that Jimin pulled it off because he was so stunning that he made anything look great on him. Can’t say I’m surprised! The boys are heart-stoppingly handsome! She worked in a vicinity not that far from Hobi and described him as literal sunshine. He seemed to make everyone around him happy and was particularly playful with Jungkook. The only member she actually talked to was Namjoon. She went to get a coffee around the same time he did and he politely conversed with her and asked how she was doing. She said she was too nervous to say much of anything to him, but I guarantee any of us would feel the same in that situation! It’s difficult to imagine Namjoon walking up to me and just politely talking with me! Obviously, a great example of the wonderfully kind behavior we’ve come to expect from the boys. It’s always nice to hear how amazingly nice these boys are to everyone! Some TikTok creators saw them in the US as well when they came for their White House appearance. Specifically Jin, Hobi, Tae, and Jimin. I just want to say that I’m so glad that ARMY continues to give BTS their space no matter what. They deserve it and it shows just how much respect this fandom truly does have for the boys.
By the time this post comes out it will be somewhere around when the MV and the new album releases. I’m sure we’ll have a full review of both coming up very soon! For now we’ll just be enjoying these amazing pieces from BTS over and over again until we post about it. But I can’t describe how proud I am of all of their accomplishments. All of their appearances at the UN, the US, and as the Presidential Envoy in South Korea. As well as the fact that they’ve gotten to the point where we can have an anthology album. I always anticipate everything they do and they always leave us with more hope in out hearts than when we first discovered them. I don’t think many of us could even put into words what they mean to all of us and I’m always amazed with all of the creativity and heart that they put into every project. Now I will stop crying over the keyboard for a second to say a big thank you to BTS!
Update: I forgot to say that my sister and I will be on vacation for the next couple weeks! As usual that means you’ll get one week of preplanned posts and one week off from our blog. But we’ll have plenty to say, probably mostly about BTS, when we get back! Look forward to those posts!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 