5 Reasons to Love BTS (from the Perspective of a 34 Year Old Mother)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few years, you probably know or at least have heard of the worldwide phenomenon that is BTS. A quick Google search will reveal photos of the 7 member K-Pop group composed of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook. Scrolling through the images, a person not familiar with the boy band can’t help but wonder, why is BTS so famous? What do their legions of fans called ARMY love about BTS?

BTS Members Jin Suga J Hope RM Jimin V Jungkook — Image from Hybe; BTS Members (L to R): V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope

Well, let me share with you 5 reasons to love BTS from the perspective of a 34 year old mama. I’ll also share with you some qualities that these boys have that I hope my son could eventually emulate as he grows up.

My journey to becoming an ARMY mama

I first got into K-Drama before getting into K-Pop. In my early 20s, right out of university, my best friend couldn’t stop gushing about a certain Korean actor on a Korean drama series that she was currently watching, Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Unlike me, she was already watching K-Dramas (and even Taiwanese dramas) when we were just in middle school. One afternoon, after our ballet class, she wouldn’t stop talking about her current crush on Sungkyunkwan Scandal and she was adamant that I start watching the series too.

So as soon as I got home that evening, I started watching the series and alas, I couldn’t stop watching it. The bizarre, Mulan-like plot, set in the ancient Joseon era got me hooked. Not to mention the charming leading men (which included the now famous Song Joong-ki and Yoo Ah-in) were just so funny and handsome that one couldn’t help but crush on them and research about their lives behind the camera.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal — Image from asiandramabase.com; Watch the series here on Viu

This researching led to the knowledge that the actor playing the main character, was a member of a K-Pop idol group called JYJ. Their song, Found You, was the catchy melody that played at the end of every episode. And so, my interest in K-Pop began.

I began listening to JYJ’s music all day, every day, for months. And of course, YouTube’s algorithm started serving me more K-Pop related videos which led me to the next idol groups that I listened to non-stop – Ikon, Blackpink and BTS.

Ikon members from ygfamily.com; Listen to their song “Love Scenario” here.

Blackpink members from ygfamily.com; Listen to their song “Lovesick Girls” here.

BTS was a slow burn for me. At that time, I preferred songs by Ikon and Blackpink over BTS. It was only when I got to watch BTS’ dance rehearsal for ON that I was truly wow-ed. I took ballet classes for 15 years and dabbled with hip hop or street dance too, so it’s quite safe to say that I know a thing or two about dance, performing and choreography. And as I watched these boys practice, I couldn’t help but think, “wow, these boys can really dance!”.

Down the rabbit hole I went, watching BTS on variety shows and videos on their lives behind the camera. Watching videos on how BTS came to be, how they struggled and persevered, who they truly are without the makeup and the costumes amazed me. I could just imagine how much their parents are so proud of them and what they have achieved.

When I became a parent myself, I feel like I’ve gained an even deeper appreciation for these boys. Whenever they achieve something new, I find myself feeling so proud of them, as if I were their own mom (LOL!). But seriously, here’s 5 reasons why I love BTS:

#1 Their humble beginnings, hard work and determination

I would say that I’m a relatively positive and grateful person but during tough times, I sometimes find myself wishing that I were born from an uber rich family or that I were more successful and earning more money. This feeling comes from the stress and pressure of just wanting to give my son everything he needs and wants. Sometimes, I envy my peers who instantly have a house or a business that they inherited from their parents. Life seems so easy for them.

I thank the BTS boys for reminding me of the cliché, “it’s about the journey, not the destination”. Success is indeed much sweeter after enduring hardships and working your ass off.

Most of these boys come from humble beginnings. 6 out of the 7 boys were born into middle class families, some with parents who were farmers and oversees workers. Their own agency, Big Hit Entertainment (now Hybe), struggled financially from the very beginning, having only one artist on their roster, BTS. During their early years of training, they lived like sardines, 7 boys cramped into one small dorm room.

BTS old dorm room — Image from koreaboo.com; The seven members used to sleep in one single room up until 2016.

The boys fondly recall stories of their struggles. J-Hope, one of the group’s rappers and dance leader, tells the story of how his mother had to work oversees to earn more money to support him in his song “Mama”. Suga, another rapper and the group’s producer, was struggling so much financially that on top of training to become a K-Pop idol, he had to pick up a part-time job as a delivery boy. On one of his delivery runs, he got into an accident and injured his shoulder. With the desire to keep on going and keep up with his commitments, it took 5 years to finally get the surgery that he needed to fix his shoulder.

If there’s one thing these BTS boys have, it’s grit. This is probably an overused word by now in parent circles and in the corporate setting, but for me, it is an even more important quality to have right now during these times of uncertainty and restlessness. I first heard of grit when a boss of mine recommended the New York Times Bestseller book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. She describes grit as a “special blend of passion and long term perseverance” which is the secret for outstanding achievement.

Grit by Angela Duckworth — Image from amazon.com

Grit is definitely a quality that I want my son to aspire to have. Life is beautiful, but it can get downright difficult at times. Grit can help you to not only survive in this world, but also to get further in life and achieve your goals.

#2 Their passion

If you’ve ever been to a BTS concert or have just watched them perform online, you can just feel their energy and passion come through. It’s infectious and exhilarating. As they take a bow at the end of their performances, I sometimes feel so proud and happy for them. These are boys who get to do what they love for a living.

My husband and I want our son to end up doing what he loves and spend his days living the life that he wants for himself. We dread the thought of him ending up trapped in a job he resents just to earn a living and survive. We want to guide him and help him discover and unlock his passions.

Living a life without passion can not only be dull, but detrimental. As Steve Jobs puts it, “You have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing because it is so hard…if you don’t, any rational person would give up”. As mentioned, Angela Duckworth defines grit as “a special blend of passion and long term perseverance”. I love how she used the word “blend”. Because indeed, without passion, how can you persevere and go on? Passion fuels perseverance and gives you the will to carry on.

Steve Jobs on passion — Image from linkedin.com

#3 Their sense of humor

One of the things that led me to become a fan of BTS aside from their music and dancing skills, is their sense of humor. These boys are really funny! Their sense of humor makes them so charming and endearing. To date, I have almost finished watching all 150+ episodes of their variety show, Run BTS, on the WeVerse app. In this show, you can watch them get into all sorts of fun and games while making fools of themselves at times.

But I would say that my favorite BTS shows would be In the Soop and Bon Voyage. Here you can watch the stripped down versions of the boys, flaws and all. In these shows I’ve seen the other side of BTS’ leader, RM. As the leader, he is supposedly the smartest one, the most responsible one and the person they rely on when they need to communicate in English. But these reality shows exposed RM’s flaws – most of the time, he is clueless about simple things like cooking and cleaning. He is careless, always losing and breaking things.

Now for others, this could be a turn off. But in this day and age of social media, where people often portray their perfect and happy selves, I think this is refreshing. Trying to live your life as perfectly as possible can be so stressful. Having a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at your own flaws and mistakes are so important. Forbes even lists “10 Reasons Why Humor is a Key to Success at Work”. Very Well Mind also lists physical, psychological and social benefits of humor and laughter.

Having a good sense of humor is another quality that I wish my son to have. It’ll not only make his life more enjoyable, but I believe that it will also help him to become more resilient while facing inevitable failures as he goes through life.

#4 Their brotherhood

When my husband and I were discussing how many kids we would like to have, we thought of having at least 2. I wanted my children to have each other as default friends. No matter what happens in life, they will always have each other.

Most of us already know that having a solid support system just makes going through challenging times a little bit easier. It is so beautiful to watch the BTS boys have each other’s backs. To some, it might be off-putting to see boys crying in front of each other, showing their affection for one another, hugging and holding each other’s hands. But for me, that’s just beautiful and so important to have in life. You know you have a solid group of friends when you can be vulnerable in front of each other.

Both my husband and I have our ride or die group of friends. We’ve known these people since we were in high school and up to this day, now that we’re in our 30s, they’re still our go to people for anything. We grew up hanging out in each other’s homes with each other’s parents and families. My parents even know my best friend so well. They know that when she comes over, we have to prepare more rice than usual since she eats a lot :P

I realize that part of our responsibilities as parents is to help foster these kinds of close knit relationships. I can’t wait to have my son’s friends come over, prepare yummy meals for them and get to know them and their parents.

#5 Their humility

It is not unusual to see BTS clad in designer clothes and accessories from Luis Vuitton, Gucci, Celine and more. But comparing them to other celebrities at their level, these boys seem to have their egos in check. They’re always polite, always bowing to fans and the people they meet, and they never forget to thank their fans.

I remember a funny video of Jimin and RM as they made their way to the 2021 American Music Awards, dreading the interviews and small talk. They were so nervous so they began joking around to calm down. The conversation goes:

“Let’s try to enjoy the awkwardness. You can be at the top if you can enjoy even this feeling (of awkwardness).”

— RM

“We’re not celebrities, RM. We’re just Kim Namjoon and Park Jimin. We’re far from celebrities. About…420 kilometers far?”

— Jimin

This was such a cute and funny moment. They seem to have forgotten about the millions of people around the world who adore them. Their official Instagram account alone has 66.6 million followers to date.

Of course I want my son to be successful in life, but like these BTS boys, I hope he remains humble and grateful, cognizant of the fact that no matter how successful you are, nobody in this world is perfect. There are a lot of people who help us get to where we are and we should always be grateful and strive to help others.

Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook are far from perfect. But for sure, these boys from the most popular boy band in the world have great qualities and habits that I hope my son gets to emulate in the future. If you’re not into BTS yet but would like to start listening to their music, I would recommend starting with their latest anthology album, Proof. As Suga explains, it is like a guide book to get to know and understand BTS.

Now if you’re a hard core fan like me, please do visit my Etsy print on demand shop, Ohhsomefinds, where everything is made to order so we don’t produce unnecessary waste for our planet. Check out my own version of “for ARMY, by ARMY” designs which include cute products for our baby and little ARMYs.

BTS Baby ARMY embroidered 100% organic baby jacket — Embroidered BTS ARMY Baby jacket. Made from 100% organic cotton. Shop here.