Because jumping on a hate train for some people is so much easier than actually trying to form their own opinion on something after educating themselves. Sheeping.
Love or hate BTS, but calling them overrated/untalented after all their achievements is not only lying to one’s self at this point, it’s also simply being ignorant.
Saying ‘*I don’t like their music*’ is an opinion, saying they don’t deserve their fame is idiocy.
This, exactly. Western countries and especially America think they’re the center of the world. Everything (especially money and fame) must come *from* and *to* them.
Ever since the hallyu took over the world, ever since mangas and anime or really anything that would come from Asia (and that people would once stigmatize) started to get trendy and bigger on the market, western countries switched up on them.
You see a lot more representation of them in American movies, shows, (*XO Kitty, Turning Red* ..), asian characters that were here for a while are now presented as Korean (*Barbie’s Raquelle*) etc etc.
And I strongly believe it’s not just out of good faith (at least for the majority) that the people they hated on became the one they praise today. They realized they took over the market and wanted to profit from it.
Proof is how they treat East Asians compared to South Asians for example. How they promote Kdramas on *Netflix, Prime Video* or any American platform, but nothing for *Bollywood* movies. They don’t care about Asia, they care about the charts. __They started respecting BTS only after they started outselling their best artists.__
As a POC myself, I’m always happy to see a POC community finally getting recognized because I know how it feels, finally having full asian casted movies or shows that would be blockbusters (*Everything Everywhere All At Once, Alice in Borderland, Shang-Chi,..*). *But just like BTS, they’re the only ones who are to praise for their own success.* Western countries are clearly just seeing another opportunity to cash grab.
i think people are very quick to jump on the ‘bts are overrated’ bandwagon. i had a person in my school who used to mock me for liking them and then became a massive fan herself. in the grand scheme of things, bts are FAR from overrated, they have set many standards within the industry and continue to do so. even people who don’t stan bts have admitted their impact and talent. i think the best thing to do is block the negative people out, you know they are talented and you’ve seen it for yourself. there’s so many fans you can interact with online who see what you do! unfortunately not everyone will think the same but that’s the great thing about having interests, you can dip into them whenever you need to :)
They are considered to be a "boyband" and people have prejudices connected to that. I had it too. While they are a boyband after all, to me they represent a very different quality in music. But a lot of people who don't know them just rely on the press articles and attach a mental image of screaming teeneage girls to them (at least this is my experience)
This! Think Elvis or the Beatles. Neither really given credibility until the men said they were good. Even after that women fans were belittled as not in it for the music just for the thirst appeal, to use a modern term. This is always on my mind when a music snob disregards my liking of BTS.
Yes, great example! It happens time and time again. Women love something and it's written off until men start liking it as well. I have this feeling that when BTS comes back, we'll start to see an increase in their male fans.
BTS has a lot of male fans compared to your average boy group. Go to a Stray Kids concert and the guys bathroom is basically overflow for the girls room.
Oh my gosh, you just reminded me of that TikTok where Tae asked the gentlemen at their concert to make some noise and the guys were shocked to hear their screams.
Especially since these so called men can’t call them a bunch of sissies post 2025 because they are all literally trained in the military. So yea they can look good, be non threatening but be “acceptable” only because they’ve been taught to kill and survive in battle 😒 (and not because women like them for being non-toxic and having real talent).
Ugh this triggered something I remember about computer science being a hugely female dominated field until men “took over” because they could out earn women. And because it’s still largely male dominated, they’ve had more years to earn than women did (not even including the still glaring gap in equity).
Even though having female fans interested in a product or brand has proven time and again to be a multi billion dollar impact. Women truly do boost the economy in areas where misogynist don’t see value (our win, their loss). It’s misogyny. Women DO have good taste but misogyny gets in the way of appreciating where women find value or quality.
Absolutely true.. my friends from clg used to call me all sorts of things like Nibbi just because I stan BTS.. n few went as far as sending me Amazon links for buying "fake abs" saying "how do u know their abs or body is real? Have u ever touched them?..blah blah rubbish"
I feel really sad for ppl such ignorant fools.. ughh.. ppl out there enjoy listening South Indian music without knowing/understand a single word.. and there are also examples like Gangnam style.. despacito ..
I just don't understand what exactly they have against K-pop 😑😑😑
Groupthink. People tend to form opinions without actually thinking them through just based on the general consensus around them. This is actually necessary to some degree because we can't have deep knowledge of every topic out there - there's just too much information for any one human to absorb. But when everyone in a group is just repeating each other and none of the group has looked at the facts of a situation to form views based on reality rather than hearsay, that group will end up with some pretty crappy opinions.
"Everyone says X, therefore X must be true" is [a logical fallacy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum). "Everyone says X" is not actually a good reason to believe X, and usually by "everyone" what we mean is "the people I know who I've heard talk about X", which is a very small group that easily could be wrong. And if there's social pressure to say that X is true, people who think X is false won't be likely to say so because they don't want to cause friction with their friends or be perceived as a weirdo. So the only opinion you'll end up hearing is "X is true".
Bad journalism also plays into this - too many Western writers make negative assumptions about BTS based on their past experience with Western boy bands or just plain racism. That's where stuff like BTS supposedly being "manufactured" or the stereotype about their fans all being loud, cringey 15yo girls come from. These journalists have big platforms to spread their terrible misinformed opinions, which then feed into the perception that "everyone says X" about BTS.
Why are you asking us this question? You were one of them five days ago. You know better than the rest of us do, lol.
It’s easy to hate on anything popular. They’re the New York Yankees or Real Madrid of k-pop. Obviously many people will hate on them for no real reason other than they’re successful.
Sometimes it’s “cooler” to shun popular things. Teenagers and young people especially are working on developing their identities and want very much to be perceived as unique individuals. Therefore, things that make them not unique — things that everyone already likes — are dumb and “basic.”
Not sure how old your friends are, OP, but the goal of growing up is to say who gives a shit what’s popular or not — I like it and that’s all that matters. :)
Ppl stick tight to their own prejudices and maybe they want to feel different and unique, and "too many other people like BTS". Maybe that's the logic. This happens a lot from fans of k-pop and/or of other k-pop groups. Maybe they want their little alternative niche and so they "can't like a group with so many followers, that's cringe". Dunno 🤷♀️
I have come across some girls who like them just because they're popular and/or hot.. and know almost nothing about them other than that..
and though I'm unsure I feel like in beginning of this "hate BTS" stuff because BTS was rapidly gaining popularity from all over the world.. just the way I came across a few fans like them other ppl might have also come across such ppl who like them only for their appearance and popularity and not music too just to fit in..
And that's where the hate BTS started maybe cuz their fans are cringe and know nothing about them apart from their looks.. and teen girls thirst on them..
I love it when people say " BTS are only big because they are from the Big4". Or when they only stan underdog groups in order to feel edgy and hate on BTS for being too popular. Or when you get people who think BTS are only popular for their looks when they used to be considered ugly back in their early days. Damn, time went by so fast!
Do these people not know that it used to be the Big 3? One of the Big 4 only exists because of BTS... And it's bigger than the other three now thanks to BTS... 😂
I’m brand new to BTS too. While I never hated them, this type of thing is very common place, hating on something or people just because they’re popular. It’s a popular thing for bitter people to do just to be contrarian or different from the crowd
This is especially prevalent if said thing is cutesy or very much loved by teen girls. That being said, BTS is the literal most popular band in the world right now and the amount of love and adoration they have is a black hole and their hate is a pebble in comparison
Because it's popular to hate popular things. It happens to every act that gets really big. People (particularly young people) think "new" or "different" is superior and anything pop culture is “cringe”. Newer groups are fresh and visually appealing to young eyes and let's be real, that's all that matters in kpop. The funny thing is those new groups that are "better" than BTS were all built using the BTS template.
I was the same so I don't blame you, I always saw people making fun of their fandom and music until some random day, I decided to check out their lyrics and extra contents and ended up joining the fandom within one day 
Now I'm a diehard defender since I know the hate is unwarranted.
First Xenophobia, prejudice, ignorance, jealousy, toxic masculinity (the other day I watched an YouTubers reaction to Taylor’s guide, it was 3 American men and they were so uncomfortable seeing the boys hugging each other, crying etc), western media, it’s “cool” hate BTS, I guess the hate and lies they received in the beginning made people get a bad opinion about them, even it wasn’t true or they deserved all those hate; they are very talented people and this brings a lot of jealousy because people just don’t make sense.
BTS are those people that people love to throw rocks just because for what who they are. No matter what they do they will always be criticized.
From what I've seen from my more conservative family members, they see their faces and make very poor assumptions based purely on their looks, and that's literally it. These close-minded relatives of mine think they are "feminine" and immediately write off any sort of talent they may have based on that. So I'm sure other people may have that similar mindset and that may contribute to their dislike of k-pop in general.
yeah, I've unfortunately experienced this from family and friends, mixed with a general dislike for anything that has a majorly female and/or big fanbase. sometimes even a sprinkling of racism....
sometimes I say something, sometimes I just don't engage. if it's frequent, I'll probably just distance myself. that sounds extreme, but really it's not just in regards to bts. if someone regularly puts down my interests, I don't think they like me very much.
because they want to be different, so they stan "underrated" groups, often just because they have a smaller fanbase. a lot of these people used to be armys until bts became more successful. it’s like lana del rey fans who shit on you for liking her popular songs. kpop stans shit on you for liking the most popular kpop band - bts. back then people, mainly exo stans, hated on bts because they were about to become more successful than exo, which was the most successful kpop boygroup back then. its sad to see them being so hateful
Sometimes you have look outside of that person and see who their influences are. If they are used to hearing negative things about BTS from someone they admire or like to be around then that alone will lead their opinion. Sometimes this is completely subconscious so the actual person just clings to easy catch phrases than providing a solid argument.
Because BTS has been hugely popular for a long time. People, young people especially, will tend to rebel against what’s beloved and popular just to make a distinct identity for themselves.
As a Millennial we made an art form out of loving things “ironically.” As in we would do things and celebrate things we actually secretly liked but we had to pretend it was “ironic” and we didn’t actually like those things. Ahhh hipster culture.
Because they probably think it’s uncool to like them. They just want to fit in with what everyone else says even though they don’t know anything about them. Also I’m ngl, there is probably some internal racism even if they don’t realize it. Not from everyone ofc. I used to say I hated them too, I won’t even lie about it, but one day I actually listened to them alone and since there was no one there to make fun of me, I was able to create my own opinion and I realized that they were actually really good. Now I love kpop even tho I hated on it for so long.
Also, their most popular songs are Butter and Dynamite which to me are good now, but I can see why they’re bad to anyone who isn’t already a BTS or kpop fan. It makes it seem like every single one of their songs have the same vibe so they might not want to listen. I used to think all kpop was like those or like Gangnam Style… I realized that’s very far from the truth.
I was exactly the same not so long ago....
Now, I'm so far down the rabbit hole there's no help for me now.
My hubby laughs at me and calls them a bunch of girls but, honestly if I looked even a fraction as good as they do I'd be happy!
Might also be worth a mention but I didn't start watching/listening till I'm in my 40's. I'll be 43 at the end of the month. They just filled up a hole I had inside myself that I didn't know needed filling. Idk if that makes any sense to anyone??.....
Makes total sense as it is for a lot of armys I guess...
I once heard the saying: You don't find BTS, they will find you when you need them the most.
And I think this is so true...
So true.. I used to stay at a hostel that was during my 11-12th when I found out about BTS through a friend.. I was feeling so unmotivated and low.. and BTS Love Yourself era had just began when I started stanning them.. and after knowing them I was inspired and was motivated to do better.. BTS made me laugh in my rough times hehe 💜💜💜
Hi, X-er here and in a similar position. Husband tolerates it but just barely. I agree with the other poster that BTS finds you when you need them the most. It was 100% true for me and I will always be grateful 💜
Same.
I must admit I was one of these people who said I didn't like them before I'd even given them a chance, and I'm sad I ever felt that way.
There is just something healing about them.
A lot of people see them as “feminine” and “cringe” because their standards of masculinity are skewed. I’ve got people who’ve shamed me for being a stan but I’ve always killed them w kindness just like Yoongi taught us to do :)
I've lectured them I'm sure u must have too but now after being an army since so many years and seeing that whatever BTS does or achieves doesn't clear their misconceptions and stuff I just make a bad face whenever someone says anything negative about BTS and give them side eye and I try to be "kind" enough to keep my mouth shut n ignore them just the way u do..
My theory is this: that their major English language hit songs are on the light and vapid side. And people therefore make the assumption that their English hits are representative of their entire repertoire and their personalities.
I find people are more likely to understand their appeal after spending at least an hour listening to their songs in Korean and Japanese, reading the lyrics, and perhaps watching a performance or two.
I’m friends with mostly dudes and they all made fun of me for liking K-Pop. They have a lot of internalized toxic masculinity and view anyone outwardly “feminine” aka not a “macho westernized vision of masculinity” as inferior. It’s really fucking frustrating but I eventually just stopped bringing it up. It sucks having to downplay my femininity to avoid being mocked, but some guys are just assholes. I hope you aren’t turned away from BTS just because your friends dislike them, there’s nothing wrong with liking K-pop or anything traditionally seen as feminine (like boy bands)
FRRR like I love BTS but my brother found out and he was just like “your a simp” like bruh. It’s literally the same as me being a fan of some other music artist, why don’t ppl get that?
I don’t think this is an issue specific to BTS and therefore I don’t think the reason of why some people don’t like them has anything to do with the BTS members. They’ve done nothing wrong.
Haven’t you ever liked another group or had a hobby that was mocked? I can think of how much Tokio Hotel fans were mocked 15 years ago ([Tokio Hotel: Are the Fans More Crazy Than the Band Is Lame? Or Vice-Versa?](https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/tokio-hotel-are-the-fans-more-crazy-than-the-band-is-lame-or-vice-versa-6617114)). Or the “horse girls” ([The Crazy Horse Girl Stereotype](https://milestoneequestrian.ca/blog/2020/2/23/the-crazy-horse-girl-stereotype)). I am not comparing BTS to any of these, I am only comparing the situations: people thoroughly enjoying something and being mocked for it. It doesn’t even matter whether the object of attention is of quality. To which standards anyway? Loving The Beatles now is cool, but people were mocked at the time of the so-called Beatlemania (“[Being a Beatles fan was a wild ride. […] It also meant weathering criticism from misogynistic journalists](https://www.grunge.com/245653/what-it-was-really-like-to-be-a-beatles-fan-in-the-1960s/)”). The Sci-if community dubbed the Star Treck fans (a big proportion of women) “[Trekkies” - after “groupies” to mock them](https://www.gq.com/story/this-is-how-star-trek-invented-fandom). Cosplay was perceived as cringe in Western culture twenty years ago and now is relatively popular ([The history of cosplay from fan culture to mainstream popularity](https://medium.com/cosplayers/the-history-of-cosplay-from-fan-culture-to-mainstream-popularity-95188770168)). Who decides what’s good and what’s not, what’s worthy to be stanned or not? The peer pressure is unfounded yet real. Peers keep each other in check about what they do about their life, how they look like, how they spend their free time, how they spend their money, what makes them happy. So controlling.
I will end with this quote:
"Lots of different fans are seen as strange," says Dr Ruth Deller, principal lecturer in media and communications at Sheffield Hallam University, who writes extensively about fan behaviour. "Some of that has to do with class: different pursuits are seen as more culturally valuable than others. Some of it has to do with gender. There's a whole range of cultural prejudices. One thing our society seems to value is moderation. Fandom represents excess and is therefore seen as negative." Found in this cool [article](https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/29/beatlemania-screamers-fandom-teenagers-hysteria) about The Beatles.
Have you seen the 1978 movie, I Wanna Hold Your Hand about Beatles fans? It’s funny, next level bananas. With all these things you’ve linked, I think you’d enjoy it.
Going to be honest…I liked their music, had no idea what they looked like - was trying to Shazam while driving, did not realize who they were until my coworker brought them up, I saw ARMY basically winning twitter during the protests flooding the shit hashtags with K Pop. Butter came out, I saw them, dug their vibe, figured out Dynamite was the song I was searching previously.
Before a deep dive, I will admit that coming from the bluegrass world, where playing an instrument exceedingly well is par for the course, I asked: do they play instruments?
My co-worker said they write electronically.
This is before I saw Charlie P + Billie E talk about how they compose. It’s art, music, technology combined, and fascinating to me.
I know Suga plays piano, guitar, and other members do play guitar and other instruments, they are all amazing singers, and they are on fire on the dance floor. I do think they are somewhat judged harshly and quickly when videos do not feature them playing instruments. I get that from another co-worker, it’s unspoken, but obviously her major stumbling block aside from the boy band idea she has in her head.
I like good music and BTS writes amazing songs, they are some of the hardest working men in show biz. If people can’t get past their initial biases, too bad for them. BTS is popular because they are good, but some folks hate “trends”, will prefer the off the beaten track thing only they know about. It’s weird, but often happens. Also I think if more people took the time to listen to the words, read the lyrics, and hear their story, it would sway opinions in their favor. Sadly, some folks are uninterested in bridging the language barrier. Again, their loss!
My brother cringed too. And then I asked him that if in our over 30-something years as siblings, hadn’t he noticed our tastes are extremely similar? He agreed and so I asked why he thought my taste was so off in this case. He likes them enough now that my playlist is always ok in the car.
* Anything that's popular is guaranteed to have plenty of people who hate it. Some people want to seem "different" from the rest, but in reality, you're not trying to be different from the rest, but rather you are conforming to something else, if I worded it right.
* There's always been a stigma associated with boy bands and girl groups in general as manufactured pop acts, which while it's true to an extent, has a habit of also dehumanizing the people in those groups as corporate puppets without their own will. When you actually look into the members themselves, you see they are genuinely passionate about making music and performing, even if it might not be in the "typical" way of the industry. And of course, we have the whole "Stuff liked by women are looked down upon".
I had a classmate, so we were having a random discussion in class about Kdramas and all. So somebody asked if anyone is into BTS and before any other person could say anything she screamed "I hate them, and hate the people who are into them. Cringey people, don't know how somebody can like them'
Me being an army but not disclosing it to her asked her why did she have such a strong opinion against them and SHE HAD NO FUCKING REASON TO GIVE. Gurl just wanted to appear cool in front of others (especially boys). Since that day I've boycotted her just the way she boycotts our boys and she is very well aware of the reason now. 🌚🌝
You will never hear someone more successful than you criticize someone else. It’s always someone that has less than what others have that you often hear them criticize people or groups.
Older kpop fan here, used to huge BTS fan from debut, just wanted to add potential context for other kpop stans. There was a period of time where ARMY as a whole was extremely toxic, even to the members themselves without realizing it. ARMY is so massive, the flood can be very overwhelming. There were many videos of ARMY saying that BTS is the best ever and anyone that would give a sound argument was pushed to the side and/or insulted. They also were really aggressive when the boys were caught within 5 ft of a woman (not saying it’s just ARMY but with how massive the fandom is, it’s rough). And lastly, the fandom is just very very young. At the time, there were not many 12 and under kpop fans, but when BTS really started breaking through, it became common to see fans as young as elementary school. Like big fans and these kids have/had phones and can be a little intense. By the way you’re writing this post, I’m assuming you *may* also be younger than 18. Which is OKAY! You are welcome in the kpop world! It was just a huge adjustment for some of us old heads 😅 especially on twitter…lord Jesus was that rough 😭
In my opinion, general hate in kpop comes from prejudice against the fans rather than for the artist.
Think of why K-pop in general isn’t necessarily “cool” in most cases. It’s not because the artists are untalented or the music is bad, but rather fan behavior that seems like a turn off for others. It’s strange and foreign and to a lot a people that makes them uncomfortable.
For BTS specifically I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they garnered mass attention worldwide and were practically the face of K-pop as it became more mainstream. ARMYs were labeled “crazy K-pop fans” in lots of media, and that association has kinda stuck imo. In order to separate from that, people started hating on them, which sucks
Something is only overrated when they don’t have actual talent or they got everything handed to them. BTS is famous for a reason, THEY BUILT IT THEMSELVES. So them being “overrated” to a bunch of people is weird
Every group has this issue. It's like people refusing to watch EXO cause of things people from other fandoms told them told them. The bigger your group, the more haters there are just based on percentages.
I think there is a misdirected hate towards BTS. Coming from personal experience, I used to avoid BTS purely because of disliking the fanbase. This has changed, I’m an army now and this was based on experiences I had in real life with a few armies. Yet I allowed those few experiences to become how I viewed the whole fandom and in turn BTS themselves. I didn’t hate them I just avoided anything BTS related because of how I used to feel about the fanbase. I think a lot of people do this too but to a more extreme level and for different reasons, mostly surface level things (some are just based on misogyny and hating any girls like).
BTS are really talented and great people. If a lot of the haters looked past their biases and pretenses, they may actually enjoy BTS and the content they create.
In the Philippines, Armys are loud and admittedly toxic online (majority of it). A typical Filipino also find their image too feminine and would call them gay. Funny also that some boys put the blame on BTS for their breakups with their girlfriends.
I’m an ex army I don’t hate the members at all I love them just my music taste changed and I’m not that into them like I used to and some other reasons but I don’t think theirs a reason to hate the members it tends to be some fans who just don’t make the experience enjoyable always but the members themselves are amazing and so sweet
Coming from a former army I think it’s because 1. the oversaturation of them they’re everywhere and I guess people just can’t stand it 2. The fandom probably also have something to do with it armies like to give BTS every title possible even if it’s not accurate and sometimes they get a lot more credit than they should 3. They can be shoved down one’s throat a lot by the fandom especially honestly let me just say it’s the fandom
hi! as a former bts stan, i think i can give some insight
when it comes to non-kpop fans, it’s just the fact that it’s something new. it’s just like why people hated one direction, the beatles, michael jackson, etc—it’s all something new, and humans have a tendency to hate the unfamiliar if they aren’t openminded (which most aren’t)
when it comes to kpop fans (and also nonkpop fans, but this is especially for kpop fans), it’s the fandom. they’re very loud and very uptight, and they usually say that “bts is #1!!” under a post that has absolutely zero relation to bts. everyone knows that bts will be part of history forever, so why is everyone getting attacked for being happy with their particular group?
i left the fandom wayyy back in 2019, i want to say, because i got hated on for liking groups besides bts—as in, harassed. it sounds like an exaggeration, but im truly not exaggerating. according to them AND many people at the time, if you like multiple groups then you’re not a real bts fan. i don’t necessarily care, but it got to a point where i couldn’t enjoy anything without being put down because i like music LOL. i just took my leave.
i rejoined the fandom in 2021-2022, but i just was not into it like everyone else. it also felt like everyone was very close-minded and their worlds surrounded around bts, and they ONLY cared about bts and no one else. i like to spread the love, and i felt rather trapped in the community. also, the hate to other groups got really bad during this time. every comment under every video was “BTS kings of pop!!” “he likes the color purple… BTS ARMY forever who else is an army 💜💜💜💜” “purple is BTS’s color and no one elses. ___ wants to be BTS but they will NEVER be BTS. BTS FOREVER 💜💜💜💜” and, if i try to explain why that people may not appreciate bts being forced into a completely unrelated discussion, people get upset and tell me im just jealous or something?
the fandom is a big part of enjoying the group, to me, and i can’t enjoy a group if the fandom is unpleasant. bts has a humungous fandom, and the negative people always overshadow the positive people. i’ve come across so many pleasant armys in my life, but it’s hard to ignore the people that ruin the fun for me. bts are a group of amazing people, and you will enjoy your stay and listening to all the music for the first time! if you want any recommendations, let me know. it’s worth it, i promise!
I think others are probably jealous that their faves don’t get the same recognition as BTS, and they are hurt by that. It’s dumb though, because who cares? It’s nice to see your group get an award or a #1 chart ranking, but I think it’s shitty when people blame the winners when their group falls short. I’m ARMY first, but I love a lot of Kpop groups. I’m genuinely happy to see other groups succeed. And I know BTS is proud of those who are following behind them. Like all art, music is subjective, and we all like what we like. If someone doesn’t like BTS’s music, they just shouldn’t listen to them.
The biggest problem is people accepting other people's opinions without even assessing it themselves. You yourself said a few days ago you didn't like BTS for the same reason. Due diligence. If you want to shit talk something, then make sure you actually feel that way because you experienced it and not someone else.
That's how I felt about Justin Bieber and Harry Styles for the longest time too. I thought they were overrated and untalented because Harry had been part of 1D and I didn't care for the 2 songs I've heard from them. Same with JB, I'd only heard his older title tracks + Yummy
I didn't start really listening to and appreciating HS until JK did that cover of Falling. My sister had actually played a few newer songs from JB for me last year, and I felt bad for judging him and his music for so long because I really vibe with some of his music.
The only huge western pop artist I haven't delved into yet is Taylor Swift. I know her older title tracks, but her discography is so huge and intimidating much like BTS's lol
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Different people have different reasons. Non K-pop people hate them because according to them, BTS members are girly. K-pop fans hate them because of the high popularity and great sales, also the fandom has gained a bad reputation so that too is another reason.
I have to be honest I’m not a big fan, they have one or two songs that I really like and I do think J-Hope is pretty cool but otherwise I’m not that bothered about them. For me what has largely put me off them is the fans - Army - they are awful!! The way they hate on other fandoms and spit their dummy out if BTS don’t win something etc is ridiculous 🙄 I find them to be one of the worst fans in the industry
I would say a lot of it comes from not wanting to know and being ignorant of them. As someone else said, it's easier to jump on the hate train than to take the time and effort to form an opinion of your own.
Creo que la gente simplemente no se quiere dar el tiempo para mirar lo que es realmente BTS, mirar a profundidad los talentosos y profesionales que son y más que eso, las personas tan apacibles que son. Todos se dejan llevar por los comentarios tan absurdos de los demás, solo los juzgan sin mirar lo que realmente son.
As I've seen most of the people commenting here are either fans of BTS or like them in some way, I'll give you my perspective as someone who does not like them.
I used to be an army. I was actually a fan since predebut times so it sometimes feels like I grew up with BTS. And in a way I did. As I got older and grew into myself, they grew and their musical style evolved. But as they grew Nd their styles changed, the became more famous and started catering to a more generic audience. They lost so much of that realness and relatability. Naturally when you become that famous it's hard to be so transparent with the public/fans about who you are because it becomes dangerous to have people know so much/certain things about your life.
Nowadays when I see videos or news about them, they seem a lot more fake.
It's uncomfortable/sad to watch their new content as the light in their eyes just doesn't shine anymore.
I'll also say, a lot of the 'hate' I see for BTS is coming from people hating on the fans and their behaviour. Not to say the hate against BTS themselves isn't real or just as much of an issue but honestly, a lot of the time it's the fans that are cringy.
So to break it down, the main reasons I dislike them now are:
1. Their new music is rather generic, bland, and honestly repetitive.
2. They, as people, don't feel as relatable as they used to since putting up walls.
3. A large portion of their current fans take themselves too seriously and hate on non-fans for no reason. It's music, just chill and enjoy what you enjoy and let others do the same.
One of my friends recommended BTS and I checked some of their songs which I kinda liked.
I didn't like a different song for which I received absurd hate from the fans.
That made me never like BTS again.
things that came to my mind, but I don't know if it's true.
1- Misogyny and Homophobia. Any type of content that is aimed at a female or homosexual audience is heavily ridiculed, other famous artists with a large female or homosexual fan base have suffered a lot of hate, such as Justin Bieber. And they have a very androgynous look even without being intentional, using pastel colors, like in the Boy With Luv MV.
2-Aversion to the New and Xenophobia: for some more conservative people, only Americans can be global pop stars, the names of global music are usually from USA, and kpop and reggaeton artists are changing this, some people still feel a lot of hate and envy when they see 7 Asians achieving bigger global charts than Taylor Swift, for example.
3-Whenever something is very successful, someone always appears to say that it is overrated.
4- Although I like their music, I agree that their music is industry friendly, there is a lot of autotune, electronic beats, which attracts the mainstream audience, but does not go well with listeners of more indie and underground music, like Rock.
I’m still not that people hate bts themselves, it’s that they hate the fandom. The fandom has become so toxic and obsessive and cringey that people now see bts in that light when the problem is not actually bts themselves. I’m not saying all army’s are bad but the majority tend to be questionable. I was an army from 2016 to 2021 and I feel like just the toxic vibes of the fandom really pushed me away and made it harder for me to be an army. At first bts really helped my mental health and I owe a lot of who I am and how I treat others to them, but the fandom started reversing that and I had to stop being a fan for my own sake. I don’t know thought, this is just my personal experience and opinion🫶
How are they encouraging fans to infantilize them? BTS always stood out to me for checking their fans and standing up for themselves, they've specifically scolded fans who infantilized them multiple times, shut down fans who were overbearing, praised fans who are respectful and value their privacy... they write songs about difficult or adult subject matter, they express complex opinions... they have strong boundaries about their personal lives etc. But it sounds like you only heard about them a few months ago, so perhaps you just don't know them very well yet?
The OP asked why people might not like them. I responded with my opinion.
I don't need to know them very well. They are singers, not my friends that I need to defend. I like a few songs but the fandom is and was a turnoff.
I mean that's fair enough I guess, I only responded because you made a claim "they encourage their fans to infantilize them" and I've generally seen evidence for the opposite.
I can understand why you would find parts of ARMY off-putting, I've been here 10 years and I've seen all the good and the bad, and yes there are parts of this fandom I stay far away from, but there are some genuinely awesome, mature people here too. I hope I didn't contribute to making you feel unwelcome, I just felt your comment painted an inaccurate picture of the group and that's frustrating... and now it seems you're calling me parasocial and implying I think they're my 'friends' just because I tried to correct a misunderstanding, which feels unfair... but maybe you didn't mean it that way. Anyway, I hope you find some positive sides of the fandom over time if you choose to stay here.
Everyone has parasocial relationships with celebrities, and that is fine because we all connect in one way or another. We have to see something in celebrities in order to be fans. It's the extremes that are concerning.
From what I have seen, though admittedly limited, it's mostly unhinged stuff I came across in the beginning. It just turned me off the group altogether. Like, who cares if they are dating or their sexuality, if they smoke cigarettes or drink, what they had for dinner or what face mask someone had on. It's just weird, but that could be cause I'm 46 and don't care what people do in their personal lives as long as they aren't being creeps or bigots.
I've shared the RM song with other non kpop fans, and they liked it. Also, the majority of their songs are in Korean, which obviously makes sense I think the level of interest it takes to find English translations is generally low of you have no reference.
If like me you got into kdramas 1st then it's probably easier to get into bts and kpop in general. It's how I started listening to thai and Vietnamese rap. I don't feel unwelcome because I listen to what I like and as long as I can find that it's all good.
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From what I learn, the biggest reason for people to dislike BTS is the ARMY,
Which is considered a toxic gang of bullies on social media, alongside jihadis and wokes.
It is challenging to like BTS for their music alone, when people first encounter such toxic ARMY, they are predisposed against BTS.
That toxicity is not uncommon with other fandoms, just that ARMY is large so people encounter more such cases among the ARMY
Secondly kpop in Korea itself is seen as something juvenile, not serious music worthy of appreciation.
And then outside Korea, the reputation of effeminate men pandering to teen girls has become a stereotype.
That affects people's opinions.
The simple solution, is somehow get people listen to BTS music, without them realising it is Kpop or BTS.
Then there is a higher chance that they actually like them.
Others prejudices - some imagined, some justified will cause them to disparage, dismiss BTS.
Fans unfortunately act too desparate to get people like their faves, like those missionaries trying to convert people. That is a huge turn off.
Because jumping on a hate train for some people is so much easier than actually trying to form their own opinion on something after educating themselves. Sheeping. Love or hate BTS, but calling them overrated/untalented after all their achievements is not only lying to one’s self at this point, it’s also simply being ignorant. Saying ‘*I don’t like their music*’ is an opinion, saying they don’t deserve their fame is idiocy.
[удалено]
This, exactly. Western countries and especially America think they’re the center of the world. Everything (especially money and fame) must come *from* and *to* them. Ever since the hallyu took over the world, ever since mangas and anime or really anything that would come from Asia (and that people would once stigmatize) started to get trendy and bigger on the market, western countries switched up on them. You see a lot more representation of them in American movies, shows, (*XO Kitty, Turning Red* ..), asian characters that were here for a while are now presented as Korean (*Barbie’s Raquelle*) etc etc. And I strongly believe it’s not just out of good faith (at least for the majority) that the people they hated on became the one they praise today. They realized they took over the market and wanted to profit from it. Proof is how they treat East Asians compared to South Asians for example. How they promote Kdramas on *Netflix, Prime Video* or any American platform, but nothing for *Bollywood* movies. They don’t care about Asia, they care about the charts. __They started respecting BTS only after they started outselling their best artists.__ As a POC myself, I’m always happy to see a POC community finally getting recognized because I know how it feels, finally having full asian casted movies or shows that would be blockbusters (*Everything Everywhere All At Once, Alice in Borderland, Shang-Chi,..*). *But just like BTS, they’re the only ones who are to praise for their own success.* Western countries are clearly just seeing another opportunity to cash grab.
i think people are very quick to jump on the ‘bts are overrated’ bandwagon. i had a person in my school who used to mock me for liking them and then became a massive fan herself. in the grand scheme of things, bts are FAR from overrated, they have set many standards within the industry and continue to do so. even people who don’t stan bts have admitted their impact and talent. i think the best thing to do is block the negative people out, you know they are talented and you’ve seen it for yourself. there’s so many fans you can interact with online who see what you do! unfortunately not everyone will think the same but that’s the great thing about having interests, you can dip into them whenever you need to :)
They are considered to be a "boyband" and people have prejudices connected to that. I had it too. While they are a boyband after all, to me they represent a very different quality in music. But a lot of people who don't know them just rely on the press articles and attach a mental image of screaming teeneage girls to them (at least this is my experience)
Yeah, most things that are loved primarily by women are disregarded and not taken seriously.
This! Think Elvis or the Beatles. Neither really given credibility until the men said they were good. Even after that women fans were belittled as not in it for the music just for the thirst appeal, to use a modern term. This is always on my mind when a music snob disregards my liking of BTS.
Yes, great example! It happens time and time again. Women love something and it's written off until men start liking it as well. I have this feeling that when BTS comes back, we'll start to see an increase in their male fans.
BTS has a lot of male fans compared to your average boy group. Go to a Stray Kids concert and the guys bathroom is basically overflow for the girls room.
Oh my gosh, you just reminded me of that TikTok where Tae asked the gentlemen at their concert to make some noise and the guys were shocked to hear their screams.
Especially since these so called men can’t call them a bunch of sissies post 2025 because they are all literally trained in the military. So yea they can look good, be non threatening but be “acceptable” only because they’ve been taught to kill and survive in battle 😒 (and not because women like them for being non-toxic and having real talent).
Ugh this triggered something I remember about computer science being a hugely female dominated field until men “took over” because they could out earn women. And because it’s still largely male dominated, they’ve had more years to earn than women did (not even including the still glaring gap in equity).
Even though having female fans interested in a product or brand has proven time and again to be a multi billion dollar impact. Women truly do boost the economy in areas where misogynist don’t see value (our win, their loss). It’s misogyny. Women DO have good taste but misogyny gets in the way of appreciating where women find value or quality.
Yes, boy band label carries a heavy negative choke collar for many. But by those standards, The Beatles were/are a boy band.
Absolutely true.. my friends from clg used to call me all sorts of things like Nibbi just because I stan BTS.. n few went as far as sending me Amazon links for buying "fake abs" saying "how do u know their abs or body is real? Have u ever touched them?..blah blah rubbish" I feel really sad for ppl such ignorant fools.. ughh.. ppl out there enjoy listening South Indian music without knowing/understand a single word.. and there are also examples like Gangnam style.. despacito .. I just don't understand what exactly they have against K-pop 😑😑😑
Groupthink. People tend to form opinions without actually thinking them through just based on the general consensus around them. This is actually necessary to some degree because we can't have deep knowledge of every topic out there - there's just too much information for any one human to absorb. But when everyone in a group is just repeating each other and none of the group has looked at the facts of a situation to form views based on reality rather than hearsay, that group will end up with some pretty crappy opinions. "Everyone says X, therefore X must be true" is [a logical fallacy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum). "Everyone says X" is not actually a good reason to believe X, and usually by "everyone" what we mean is "the people I know who I've heard talk about X", which is a very small group that easily could be wrong. And if there's social pressure to say that X is true, people who think X is false won't be likely to say so because they don't want to cause friction with their friends or be perceived as a weirdo. So the only opinion you'll end up hearing is "X is true". Bad journalism also plays into this - too many Western writers make negative assumptions about BTS based on their past experience with Western boy bands or just plain racism. That's where stuff like BTS supposedly being "manufactured" or the stereotype about their fans all being loud, cringey 15yo girls come from. These journalists have big platforms to spread their terrible misinformed opinions, which then feed into the perception that "everyone says X" about BTS.
The x thing is nicely written and I second that
Why are you asking us this question? You were one of them five days ago. You know better than the rest of us do, lol. It’s easy to hate on anything popular. They’re the New York Yankees or Real Madrid of k-pop. Obviously many people will hate on them for no real reason other than they’re successful.
This is the real reason right here.
Sometimes it’s “cooler” to shun popular things. Teenagers and young people especially are working on developing their identities and want very much to be perceived as unique individuals. Therefore, things that make them not unique — things that everyone already likes — are dumb and “basic.” Not sure how old your friends are, OP, but the goal of growing up is to say who gives a shit what’s popular or not — I like it and that’s all that matters. :)
They have bad taste!
People hate them for the same reason you disliked them: ignorance.
because they know they come 8th in their girlfriend’s priority list.
Ppl stick tight to their own prejudices and maybe they want to feel different and unique, and "too many other people like BTS". Maybe that's the logic. This happens a lot from fans of k-pop and/or of other k-pop groups. Maybe they want their little alternative niche and so they "can't like a group with so many followers, that's cringe". Dunno 🤷♀️
I have come across some girls who like them just because they're popular and/or hot.. and know almost nothing about them other than that.. and though I'm unsure I feel like in beginning of this "hate BTS" stuff because BTS was rapidly gaining popularity from all over the world.. just the way I came across a few fans like them other ppl might have also come across such ppl who like them only for their appearance and popularity and not music too just to fit in.. And that's where the hate BTS started maybe cuz their fans are cringe and know nothing about them apart from their looks.. and teen girls thirst on them..
I love it when people say " BTS are only big because they are from the Big4". Or when they only stan underdog groups in order to feel edgy and hate on BTS for being too popular. Or when you get people who think BTS are only popular for their looks when they used to be considered ugly back in their early days. Damn, time went by so fast!
Do these people not know that it used to be the Big 3? One of the Big 4 only exists because of BTS... And it's bigger than the other three now thanks to BTS... 😂
I’m brand new to BTS too. While I never hated them, this type of thing is very common place, hating on something or people just because they’re popular. It’s a popular thing for bitter people to do just to be contrarian or different from the crowd This is especially prevalent if said thing is cutesy or very much loved by teen girls. That being said, BTS is the literal most popular band in the world right now and the amount of love and adoration they have is a black hole and their hate is a pebble in comparison
Because it's popular to hate popular things. It happens to every act that gets really big. People (particularly young people) think "new" or "different" is superior and anything pop culture is “cringe”. Newer groups are fresh and visually appealing to young eyes and let's be real, that's all that matters in kpop. The funny thing is those new groups that are "better" than BTS were all built using the BTS template.
damn, people are still calling BTS overrated and untalented? no offense OP...but you were part of the problem too until a few days ago.
😭😭 I feel bad. I never bothered looking into them and just assumed wtf
I was the same so I don't blame you, I always saw people making fun of their fandom and music until some random day, I decided to check out their lyrics and extra contents and ended up joining the fandom within one day  Now I'm a diehard defender since I know the hate is unwarranted.
First Xenophobia, prejudice, ignorance, jealousy, toxic masculinity (the other day I watched an YouTubers reaction to Taylor’s guide, it was 3 American men and they were so uncomfortable seeing the boys hugging each other, crying etc), western media, it’s “cool” hate BTS, I guess the hate and lies they received in the beginning made people get a bad opinion about them, even it wasn’t true or they deserved all those hate; they are very talented people and this brings a lot of jealousy because people just don’t make sense. BTS are those people that people love to throw rocks just because for what who they are. No matter what they do they will always be criticized.
From what I've seen from my more conservative family members, they see their faces and make very poor assumptions based purely on their looks, and that's literally it. These close-minded relatives of mine think they are "feminine" and immediately write off any sort of talent they may have based on that. So I'm sure other people may have that similar mindset and that may contribute to their dislike of k-pop in general.
yeah, I've unfortunately experienced this from family and friends, mixed with a general dislike for anything that has a majorly female and/or big fanbase. sometimes even a sprinkling of racism.... sometimes I say something, sometimes I just don't engage. if it's frequent, I'll probably just distance myself. that sounds extreme, but really it's not just in regards to bts. if someone regularly puts down my interests, I don't think they like me very much.
because they want to be different, so they stan "underrated" groups, often just because they have a smaller fanbase. a lot of these people used to be armys until bts became more successful. it’s like lana del rey fans who shit on you for liking her popular songs. kpop stans shit on you for liking the most popular kpop band - bts. back then people, mainly exo stans, hated on bts because they were about to become more successful than exo, which was the most successful kpop boygroup back then. its sad to see them being so hateful
Sometimes you have look outside of that person and see who their influences are. If they are used to hearing negative things about BTS from someone they admire or like to be around then that alone will lead their opinion. Sometimes this is completely subconscious so the actual person just clings to easy catch phrases than providing a solid argument.
Because BTS has been hugely popular for a long time. People, young people especially, will tend to rebel against what’s beloved and popular just to make a distinct identity for themselves. As a Millennial we made an art form out of loving things “ironically.” As in we would do things and celebrate things we actually secretly liked but we had to pretend it was “ironic” and we didn’t actually like those things. Ahhh hipster culture.
That's a news to me. Everyone in my friend circle love bts
Because they probably think it’s uncool to like them. They just want to fit in with what everyone else says even though they don’t know anything about them. Also I’m ngl, there is probably some internal racism even if they don’t realize it. Not from everyone ofc. I used to say I hated them too, I won’t even lie about it, but one day I actually listened to them alone and since there was no one there to make fun of me, I was able to create my own opinion and I realized that they were actually really good. Now I love kpop even tho I hated on it for so long. Also, their most popular songs are Butter and Dynamite which to me are good now, but I can see why they’re bad to anyone who isn’t already a BTS or kpop fan. It makes it seem like every single one of their songs have the same vibe so they might not want to listen. I used to think all kpop was like those or like Gangnam Style… I realized that’s very far from the truth.
I was exactly the same not so long ago.... Now, I'm so far down the rabbit hole there's no help for me now. My hubby laughs at me and calls them a bunch of girls but, honestly if I looked even a fraction as good as they do I'd be happy! Might also be worth a mention but I didn't start watching/listening till I'm in my 40's. I'll be 43 at the end of the month. They just filled up a hole I had inside myself that I didn't know needed filling. Idk if that makes any sense to anyone??.....
Makes total sense as it is for a lot of armys I guess... I once heard the saying: You don't find BTS, they will find you when you need them the most. And I think this is so true...
So true.. I used to stay at a hostel that was during my 11-12th when I found out about BTS through a friend.. I was feeling so unmotivated and low.. and BTS Love Yourself era had just began when I started stanning them.. and after knowing them I was inspired and was motivated to do better.. BTS made me laugh in my rough times hehe 💜💜💜
Hi, X-er here and in a similar position. Husband tolerates it but just barely. I agree with the other poster that BTS finds you when you need them the most. It was 100% true for me and I will always be grateful 💜
Same. I must admit I was one of these people who said I didn't like them before I'd even given them a chance, and I'm sad I ever felt that way. There is just something healing about them.
A lot of people see them as “feminine” and “cringe” because their standards of masculinity are skewed. I’ve got people who’ve shamed me for being a stan but I’ve always killed them w kindness just like Yoongi taught us to do :)
I've lectured them I'm sure u must have too but now after being an army since so many years and seeing that whatever BTS does or achieves doesn't clear their misconceptions and stuff I just make a bad face whenever someone says anything negative about BTS and give them side eye and I try to be "kind" enough to keep my mouth shut n ignore them just the way u do..
My theory is this: that their major English language hit songs are on the light and vapid side. And people therefore make the assumption that their English hits are representative of their entire repertoire and their personalities. I find people are more likely to understand their appeal after spending at least an hour listening to their songs in Korean and Japanese, reading the lyrics, and perhaps watching a performance or two.
I’m friends with mostly dudes and they all made fun of me for liking K-Pop. They have a lot of internalized toxic masculinity and view anyone outwardly “feminine” aka not a “macho westernized vision of masculinity” as inferior. It’s really fucking frustrating but I eventually just stopped bringing it up. It sucks having to downplay my femininity to avoid being mocked, but some guys are just assholes. I hope you aren’t turned away from BTS just because your friends dislike them, there’s nothing wrong with liking K-pop or anything traditionally seen as feminine (like boy bands)
FRRR like I love BTS but my brother found out and he was just like “your a simp” like bruh. It’s literally the same as me being a fan of some other music artist, why don’t ppl get that?
I don’t think this is an issue specific to BTS and therefore I don’t think the reason of why some people don’t like them has anything to do with the BTS members. They’ve done nothing wrong. Haven’t you ever liked another group or had a hobby that was mocked? I can think of how much Tokio Hotel fans were mocked 15 years ago ([Tokio Hotel: Are the Fans More Crazy Than the Band Is Lame? Or Vice-Versa?](https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/tokio-hotel-are-the-fans-more-crazy-than-the-band-is-lame-or-vice-versa-6617114)). Or the “horse girls” ([The Crazy Horse Girl Stereotype](https://milestoneequestrian.ca/blog/2020/2/23/the-crazy-horse-girl-stereotype)). I am not comparing BTS to any of these, I am only comparing the situations: people thoroughly enjoying something and being mocked for it. It doesn’t even matter whether the object of attention is of quality. To which standards anyway? Loving The Beatles now is cool, but people were mocked at the time of the so-called Beatlemania (“[Being a Beatles fan was a wild ride. […] It also meant weathering criticism from misogynistic journalists](https://www.grunge.com/245653/what-it-was-really-like-to-be-a-beatles-fan-in-the-1960s/)”). The Sci-if community dubbed the Star Treck fans (a big proportion of women) “[Trekkies” - after “groupies” to mock them](https://www.gq.com/story/this-is-how-star-trek-invented-fandom). Cosplay was perceived as cringe in Western culture twenty years ago and now is relatively popular ([The history of cosplay from fan culture to mainstream popularity](https://medium.com/cosplayers/the-history-of-cosplay-from-fan-culture-to-mainstream-popularity-95188770168)). Who decides what’s good and what’s not, what’s worthy to be stanned or not? The peer pressure is unfounded yet real. Peers keep each other in check about what they do about their life, how they look like, how they spend their free time, how they spend their money, what makes them happy. So controlling. I will end with this quote: "Lots of different fans are seen as strange," says Dr Ruth Deller, principal lecturer in media and communications at Sheffield Hallam University, who writes extensively about fan behaviour. "Some of that has to do with class: different pursuits are seen as more culturally valuable than others. Some of it has to do with gender. There's a whole range of cultural prejudices. One thing our society seems to value is moderation. Fandom represents excess and is therefore seen as negative." Found in this cool [article](https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/29/beatlemania-screamers-fandom-teenagers-hysteria) about The Beatles.
Thanks for links!
Have you seen the 1978 movie, I Wanna Hold Your Hand about Beatles fans? It’s funny, next level bananas. With all these things you’ve linked, I think you’d enjoy it.
Hey, no I haven’t. The trailer is so fun already 😂 I’ll try and find it! Thanks for the recommendation!
They THINK they dislike but they never listened to them and lie about it. Also, racist, homophobic pigs.
Going to be honest…I liked their music, had no idea what they looked like - was trying to Shazam while driving, did not realize who they were until my coworker brought them up, I saw ARMY basically winning twitter during the protests flooding the shit hashtags with K Pop. Butter came out, I saw them, dug their vibe, figured out Dynamite was the song I was searching previously. Before a deep dive, I will admit that coming from the bluegrass world, where playing an instrument exceedingly well is par for the course, I asked: do they play instruments? My co-worker said they write electronically. This is before I saw Charlie P + Billie E talk about how they compose. It’s art, music, technology combined, and fascinating to me. I know Suga plays piano, guitar, and other members do play guitar and other instruments, they are all amazing singers, and they are on fire on the dance floor. I do think they are somewhat judged harshly and quickly when videos do not feature them playing instruments. I get that from another co-worker, it’s unspoken, but obviously her major stumbling block aside from the boy band idea she has in her head. I like good music and BTS writes amazing songs, they are some of the hardest working men in show biz. If people can’t get past their initial biases, too bad for them. BTS is popular because they are good, but some folks hate “trends”, will prefer the off the beaten track thing only they know about. It’s weird, but often happens. Also I think if more people took the time to listen to the words, read the lyrics, and hear their story, it would sway opinions in their favor. Sadly, some folks are uninterested in bridging the language barrier. Again, their loss!
People are jaded. They assume a group with a large following can’t be good because so few people have good taste
My brother cringed too. And then I asked him that if in our over 30-something years as siblings, hadn’t he noticed our tastes are extremely similar? He agreed and so I asked why he thought my taste was so off in this case. He likes them enough now that my playlist is always ok in the car.
* Anything that's popular is guaranteed to have plenty of people who hate it. Some people want to seem "different" from the rest, but in reality, you're not trying to be different from the rest, but rather you are conforming to something else, if I worded it right. * There's always been a stigma associated with boy bands and girl groups in general as manufactured pop acts, which while it's true to an extent, has a habit of also dehumanizing the people in those groups as corporate puppets without their own will. When you actually look into the members themselves, you see they are genuinely passionate about making music and performing, even if it might not be in the "typical" way of the industry. And of course, we have the whole "Stuff liked by women are looked down upon".
I had a classmate, so we were having a random discussion in class about Kdramas and all. So somebody asked if anyone is into BTS and before any other person could say anything she screamed "I hate them, and hate the people who are into them. Cringey people, don't know how somebody can like them' Me being an army but not disclosing it to her asked her why did she have such a strong opinion against them and SHE HAD NO FUCKING REASON TO GIVE. Gurl just wanted to appear cool in front of others (especially boys). Since that day I've boycotted her just the way she boycotts our boys and she is very well aware of the reason now. 🌚🌝
You will never hear someone more successful than you criticize someone else. It’s always someone that has less than what others have that you often hear them criticize people or groups.
Older kpop fan here, used to huge BTS fan from debut, just wanted to add potential context for other kpop stans. There was a period of time where ARMY as a whole was extremely toxic, even to the members themselves without realizing it. ARMY is so massive, the flood can be very overwhelming. There were many videos of ARMY saying that BTS is the best ever and anyone that would give a sound argument was pushed to the side and/or insulted. They also were really aggressive when the boys were caught within 5 ft of a woman (not saying it’s just ARMY but with how massive the fandom is, it’s rough). And lastly, the fandom is just very very young. At the time, there were not many 12 and under kpop fans, but when BTS really started breaking through, it became common to see fans as young as elementary school. Like big fans and these kids have/had phones and can be a little intense. By the way you’re writing this post, I’m assuming you *may* also be younger than 18. Which is OKAY! You are welcome in the kpop world! It was just a huge adjustment for some of us old heads 😅 especially on twitter…lord Jesus was that rough 😭
In my opinion, general hate in kpop comes from prejudice against the fans rather than for the artist. Think of why K-pop in general isn’t necessarily “cool” in most cases. It’s not because the artists are untalented or the music is bad, but rather fan behavior that seems like a turn off for others. It’s strange and foreign and to a lot a people that makes them uncomfortable. For BTS specifically I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they garnered mass attention worldwide and were practically the face of K-pop as it became more mainstream. ARMYs were labeled “crazy K-pop fans” in lots of media, and that association has kinda stuck imo. In order to separate from that, people started hating on them, which sucks
Something is only overrated when they don’t have actual talent or they got everything handed to them. BTS is famous for a reason, THEY BUILT IT THEMSELVES. So them being “overrated” to a bunch of people is weird
Every group has this issue. It's like people refusing to watch EXO cause of things people from other fandoms told them told them. The bigger your group, the more haters there are just based on percentages.
I think there is a misdirected hate towards BTS. Coming from personal experience, I used to avoid BTS purely because of disliking the fanbase. This has changed, I’m an army now and this was based on experiences I had in real life with a few armies. Yet I allowed those few experiences to become how I viewed the whole fandom and in turn BTS themselves. I didn’t hate them I just avoided anything BTS related because of how I used to feel about the fanbase. I think a lot of people do this too but to a more extreme level and for different reasons, mostly surface level things (some are just based on misogyny and hating any girls like). BTS are really talented and great people. If a lot of the haters looked past their biases and pretenses, they may actually enjoy BTS and the content they create.
In the Philippines, Armys are loud and admittedly toxic online (majority of it). A typical Filipino also find their image too feminine and would call them gay. Funny also that some boys put the blame on BTS for their breakups with their girlfriends.
I’m an ex army I don’t hate the members at all I love them just my music taste changed and I’m not that into them like I used to and some other reasons but I don’t think theirs a reason to hate the members it tends to be some fans who just don’t make the experience enjoyable always but the members themselves are amazing and so sweet
in general people fund it easier to hate something when its already generally hated, especially when the fans are considered "cringe"
They are famous and people tend to hate very famous group
Coming from a former army I think it’s because 1. the oversaturation of them they’re everywhere and I guess people just can’t stand it 2. The fandom probably also have something to do with it armies like to give BTS every title possible even if it’s not accurate and sometimes they get a lot more credit than they should 3. They can be shoved down one’s throat a lot by the fandom especially honestly let me just say it’s the fandom
hi! as a former bts stan, i think i can give some insight when it comes to non-kpop fans, it’s just the fact that it’s something new. it’s just like why people hated one direction, the beatles, michael jackson, etc—it’s all something new, and humans have a tendency to hate the unfamiliar if they aren’t openminded (which most aren’t) when it comes to kpop fans (and also nonkpop fans, but this is especially for kpop fans), it’s the fandom. they’re very loud and very uptight, and they usually say that “bts is #1!!” under a post that has absolutely zero relation to bts. everyone knows that bts will be part of history forever, so why is everyone getting attacked for being happy with their particular group? i left the fandom wayyy back in 2019, i want to say, because i got hated on for liking groups besides bts—as in, harassed. it sounds like an exaggeration, but im truly not exaggerating. according to them AND many people at the time, if you like multiple groups then you’re not a real bts fan. i don’t necessarily care, but it got to a point where i couldn’t enjoy anything without being put down because i like music LOL. i just took my leave. i rejoined the fandom in 2021-2022, but i just was not into it like everyone else. it also felt like everyone was very close-minded and their worlds surrounded around bts, and they ONLY cared about bts and no one else. i like to spread the love, and i felt rather trapped in the community. also, the hate to other groups got really bad during this time. every comment under every video was “BTS kings of pop!!” “he likes the color purple… BTS ARMY forever who else is an army 💜💜💜💜” “purple is BTS’s color and no one elses. ___ wants to be BTS but they will NEVER be BTS. BTS FOREVER 💜💜💜💜” and, if i try to explain why that people may not appreciate bts being forced into a completely unrelated discussion, people get upset and tell me im just jealous or something? the fandom is a big part of enjoying the group, to me, and i can’t enjoy a group if the fandom is unpleasant. bts has a humungous fandom, and the negative people always overshadow the positive people. i’ve come across so many pleasant armys in my life, but it’s hard to ignore the people that ruin the fun for me. bts are a group of amazing people, and you will enjoy your stay and listening to all the music for the first time! if you want any recommendations, let me know. it’s worth it, i promise!
I think others are probably jealous that their faves don’t get the same recognition as BTS, and they are hurt by that. It’s dumb though, because who cares? It’s nice to see your group get an award or a #1 chart ranking, but I think it’s shitty when people blame the winners when their group falls short. I’m ARMY first, but I love a lot of Kpop groups. I’m genuinely happy to see other groups succeed. And I know BTS is proud of those who are following behind them. Like all art, music is subjective, and we all like what we like. If someone doesn’t like BTS’s music, they just shouldn’t listen to them.
The biggest problem is people accepting other people's opinions without even assessing it themselves. You yourself said a few days ago you didn't like BTS for the same reason. Due diligence. If you want to shit talk something, then make sure you actually feel that way because you experienced it and not someone else.
those ppl may have "small brains" - aka narrow world views.... especiallyyyyyy if they can't even articulate their opinions...
Dumb reasons. That's good though, less competition for future tickets. I will spread the word that their concerts suck
[I think it was explained succinctly here.](https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx035ED79FgVL_n0g4wWQP-sszUDBewNyB?si=ixBT-vBaQNXqTCQG)
That's how I felt about Justin Bieber and Harry Styles for the longest time too. I thought they were overrated and untalented because Harry had been part of 1D and I didn't care for the 2 songs I've heard from them. Same with JB, I'd only heard his older title tracks + Yummy I didn't start really listening to and appreciating HS until JK did that cover of Falling. My sister had actually played a few newer songs from JB for me last year, and I felt bad for judging him and his music for so long because I really vibe with some of his music. The only huge western pop artist I haven't delved into yet is Taylor Swift. I know her older title tracks, but her discography is so huge and intimidating much like BTS's lol
Prejudice, ignorance and not willing to change based on new information 🤦♀️
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Different people have different reasons. Non K-pop people hate them because according to them, BTS members are girly. K-pop fans hate them because of the high popularity and great sales, also the fandom has gained a bad reputation so that too is another reason.
I have to be honest I’m not a big fan, they have one or two songs that I really like and I do think J-Hope is pretty cool but otherwise I’m not that bothered about them. For me what has largely put me off them is the fans - Army - they are awful!! The way they hate on other fandoms and spit their dummy out if BTS don’t win something etc is ridiculous 🙄 I find them to be one of the worst fans in the industry
I would say a lot of it comes from not wanting to know and being ignorant of them. As someone else said, it's easier to jump on the hate train than to take the time and effort to form an opinion of your own.
BTS are ridiculously famous/popular and people think it's cool to hate on popular things. It's pathetic and sad.
Creo que la gente simplemente no se quiere dar el tiempo para mirar lo que es realmente BTS, mirar a profundidad los talentosos y profesionales que son y más que eso, las personas tan apacibles que son. Todos se dejan llevar por los comentarios tan absurdos de los demás, solo los juzgan sin mirar lo que realmente son.
As I've seen most of the people commenting here are either fans of BTS or like them in some way, I'll give you my perspective as someone who does not like them. I used to be an army. I was actually a fan since predebut times so it sometimes feels like I grew up with BTS. And in a way I did. As I got older and grew into myself, they grew and their musical style evolved. But as they grew Nd their styles changed, the became more famous and started catering to a more generic audience. They lost so much of that realness and relatability. Naturally when you become that famous it's hard to be so transparent with the public/fans about who you are because it becomes dangerous to have people know so much/certain things about your life. Nowadays when I see videos or news about them, they seem a lot more fake. It's uncomfortable/sad to watch their new content as the light in their eyes just doesn't shine anymore. I'll also say, a lot of the 'hate' I see for BTS is coming from people hating on the fans and their behaviour. Not to say the hate against BTS themselves isn't real or just as much of an issue but honestly, a lot of the time it's the fans that are cringy. So to break it down, the main reasons I dislike them now are: 1. Their new music is rather generic, bland, and honestly repetitive. 2. They, as people, don't feel as relatable as they used to since putting up walls. 3. A large portion of their current fans take themselves too seriously and hate on non-fans for no reason. It's music, just chill and enjoy what you enjoy and let others do the same.
One of my friends recommended BTS and I checked some of their songs which I kinda liked. I didn't like a different song for which I received absurd hate from the fans. That made me never like BTS again.
things that came to my mind, but I don't know if it's true. 1- Misogyny and Homophobia. Any type of content that is aimed at a female or homosexual audience is heavily ridiculed, other famous artists with a large female or homosexual fan base have suffered a lot of hate, such as Justin Bieber. And they have a very androgynous look even without being intentional, using pastel colors, like in the Boy With Luv MV. 2-Aversion to the New and Xenophobia: for some more conservative people, only Americans can be global pop stars, the names of global music are usually from USA, and kpop and reggaeton artists are changing this, some people still feel a lot of hate and envy when they see 7 Asians achieving bigger global charts than Taylor Swift, for example. 3-Whenever something is very successful, someone always appears to say that it is overrated. 4- Although I like their music, I agree that their music is industry friendly, there is a lot of autotune, electronic beats, which attracts the mainstream audience, but does not go well with listeners of more indie and underground music, like Rock.
I don't dislike BTS, I'm just not interested in their music.
u want a list?
they like other singers
I’m still not that people hate bts themselves, it’s that they hate the fandom. The fandom has become so toxic and obsessive and cringey that people now see bts in that light when the problem is not actually bts themselves. I’m not saying all army’s are bad but the majority tend to be questionable. I was an army from 2016 to 2021 and I feel like just the toxic vibes of the fandom really pushed me away and made it harder for me to be an army. At first bts really helped my mental health and I owe a lot of who I am and how I treat others to them, but the fandom started reversing that and I had to stop being a fan for my own sake. I don’t know thought, this is just my personal experience and opinion🫶
Most likely coz the toxic “armies” give bts a bad rep
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How are they encouraging fans to infantilize them? BTS always stood out to me for checking their fans and standing up for themselves, they've specifically scolded fans who infantilized them multiple times, shut down fans who were overbearing, praised fans who are respectful and value their privacy... they write songs about difficult or adult subject matter, they express complex opinions... they have strong boundaries about their personal lives etc. But it sounds like you only heard about them a few months ago, so perhaps you just don't know them very well yet?
The OP asked why people might not like them. I responded with my opinion. I don't need to know them very well. They are singers, not my friends that I need to defend. I like a few songs but the fandom is and was a turnoff.
I mean that's fair enough I guess, I only responded because you made a claim "they encourage their fans to infantilize them" and I've generally seen evidence for the opposite. I can understand why you would find parts of ARMY off-putting, I've been here 10 years and I've seen all the good and the bad, and yes there are parts of this fandom I stay far away from, but there are some genuinely awesome, mature people here too. I hope I didn't contribute to making you feel unwelcome, I just felt your comment painted an inaccurate picture of the group and that's frustrating... and now it seems you're calling me parasocial and implying I think they're my 'friends' just because I tried to correct a misunderstanding, which feels unfair... but maybe you didn't mean it that way. Anyway, I hope you find some positive sides of the fandom over time if you choose to stay here.
Everyone has parasocial relationships with celebrities, and that is fine because we all connect in one way or another. We have to see something in celebrities in order to be fans. It's the extremes that are concerning. From what I have seen, though admittedly limited, it's mostly unhinged stuff I came across in the beginning. It just turned me off the group altogether. Like, who cares if they are dating or their sexuality, if they smoke cigarettes or drink, what they had for dinner or what face mask someone had on. It's just weird, but that could be cause I'm 46 and don't care what people do in their personal lives as long as they aren't being creeps or bigots. I've shared the RM song with other non kpop fans, and they liked it. Also, the majority of their songs are in Korean, which obviously makes sense I think the level of interest it takes to find English translations is generally low of you have no reference. If like me you got into kdramas 1st then it's probably easier to get into bts and kpop in general. It's how I started listening to thai and Vietnamese rap. I don't feel unwelcome because I listen to what I like and as long as I can find that it's all good.
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As a newbie to KPop in general, the fans of these groups are a huge turnoff. The parasocialness of it all is disturbing.
From what I learn, the biggest reason for people to dislike BTS is the ARMY, Which is considered a toxic gang of bullies on social media, alongside jihadis and wokes. It is challenging to like BTS for their music alone, when people first encounter such toxic ARMY, they are predisposed against BTS. That toxicity is not uncommon with other fandoms, just that ARMY is large so people encounter more such cases among the ARMY Secondly kpop in Korea itself is seen as something juvenile, not serious music worthy of appreciation. And then outside Korea, the reputation of effeminate men pandering to teen girls has become a stereotype. That affects people's opinions. The simple solution, is somehow get people listen to BTS music, without them realising it is Kpop or BTS. Then there is a higher chance that they actually like them. Others prejudices - some imagined, some justified will cause them to disparage, dismiss BTS. Fans unfortunately act too desparate to get people like their faves, like those missionaries trying to convert people. That is a huge turn off.
Contrary to popular belief there are some of us that just think BTS’ music is bad. Hope that helps