#incorporating this framework as a therapist was something me and my cohort had to do outside of our courses 😪

[sugaftrm]

I get so frustrated by BTS members' diet culture talk/fatphobia and the inherent ableism that comes along with the way they talk about bodies and and eating and working out. I wonder sometimes if they haven't really been exposed to an alternative viewpoint on these issues and maybe aren't aware of the harm they do when they talk this way. Idk maybe that's naive in the world of internet, but I work in a fairly progressive social Justice oriented school and I feel like we don't do a good job of anti-bias around bodies and diet compared to how we approach other social justice topics. It makes me sad for BTS that they think this way about themselves and it makes me sad for BTS fans. Some of the kids I work with are Army, and some of these kids struggle so much with self image and eating and feeling good about themselves and I wish BTS would take the opportunity they have to speak against fatphobia and diet culture. It really does hurt kids (and adults too) un really tangible ways to see these negative messages from BTS. And even as someone who is at a good place with accepting my fat body, I can't help sometimes thinking about how BTS would judge me for the way my body looks. Sorry for that whole ramble, but I'm so glad you talk about this issue because I don't see enough people talking about how hurtful and harmful it is.

cw: disordered eating, fatphobia, ableism, diet culture

hi anon,

thank you for sharing your experience 🖤 what you’ve witnessed with the impact of bangtan’s words on young armys/kid’s self image & relationship with food is truly eye-opening. leaving more thoughts on this under the cut —

i appreciate you bringing ableism into this conversation. to feel consistently disappointed and exasperated by bangtan’s views/words - especially if you exist in a body that society deems as ‘unacceptable’ or if you struggle with body image/eating - can be so exhausting. i can only imagine how it must be seeing younger army both look up to bangtan and also experience challenges with their self image that is unintentionally validated by how bangtan speaks about health overall.

I really resonated with what you said about being at a good place with your fat body (same 🙏🏽) but also thinking that bangtan would judge you for how you look. I had a whole breakdown in December bc of that, like the healing I created for myself over a number of years got disrupted when I thought about how my bias would perceive me based on his own relationship with his body. Which is super unfair to him and to me, to all of us. this topic is a hard thing to draw attention to and each time i feel like I’m exaggerating or projecting my feelings by expecting better from the members. but in reading your message and being reminded of the harmful implications, it feels easier over time to name this dynamic occurring.

again, i hope fans can find a way to appeal to bangtan so that they can really take more responsibility for their words; im no one to tell bts what to do with their bodies or health i just hope there’s people looking out for them when they exhibit disordered eating patterns and struggles with body image.

thanks for trusting me with your experiences 🖤