The Idol Fever: Understanding our Roles as Fans || Thoughts

 TL;DR 

• Me being upset about the dirty comments on Bangtan Bomb videos
• Respect your celebrity
• Know that the internet is a public place, open to all eyes
• Don't think that just because it's the internet, you can post anything you want; some things are better left un-typed
• IDOLS ARE PEOPLE
• DRAW A LINE FOR REAL PEOPLE; you can have ships or whatever, but know that there's a limit
• Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year

Originally, I planned to aim this post directly to k-pop, but really, this applies to any celebrities or figures of admiration/idolization around the world.

We all know that once you get hooked on a certain singer, or actor/actress, you tend to get excited over them, kind of like when you get to eat your favorite food, when the TV show you like gets another season, when you get money, etc.
But what happens when you get overly excited about them?
When you can't control your "feels" for this idol? What if your "feels" get to the point where you're not even a fan anymore, and you're doing whatever it takes to get close to them or get recognition, even if it means hurting your idol?

In K-pop(Korean pop music), we have a word for this type of fan, if that doesn't say anything.
A sasaeng fan(사생팬), according to Urban Dictionary(a very reliable source, mind you), "stalk[s] their idols and invade[s] their privacy...[they] will do anything to make them remember you, hit them, scream bad and mean things to them, they want to touch them so bad that they even could kill someone to get the c[h]ance to touch them." 

Although sasaeng fans exist outside of Korea and outside of K-pop,  it's no doubt that it is more prevalent in this industry. If you watch a couple K-pop music videos, look at some pictures of idols, you'll know why. These K-pop idols have a certain image to retain, and to the public, they appear as a perfect version of their concept.

Oh My Girl-pure, innocent image

Apink-Schoolgirl, innocent image

I also want to mention that I have noticed that J-pop(Japanese pop music), seems to idolize at least some groups/artists probably even more than in k-pop. I mean, look at the extremely popular AKB48, or even Morning Musume. I'm probably wary of this because of the gravure idol business in Japan; female idols that dress in fetish clothing and models for magazines aimed toward men. From what I understand of it, it's kind of like a stepping stone in the female J-celebrity world; how you get your name out there. It's kind of gross really, but that's a part of the Japanese idol industry.

Anyway, back to sasaeng fans.  I really want to just get to the point, and just say IDOLS ARE PEOPLE TOO, JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE AND FOCUS ON YOUR OWN LIFE, because it's Christmas Eve, and I really don't want to be doing this, but I really just thought this needed to be addressed because of a recent event.

If you don't already know, I LOVE BTS(Bangtan Boys), a K-pop boy group. I love their music, I love their personalities, and I really admire them but it's hard to go to concerts and fan-signings as an international fan. So when some other international fans(not all of them, they are just a small portion of fans) decide to comment inappropriate, disgusting, fanfiction-provoked thoughts about the members on their youtube videos, BTS stopped viewing the comments and of course, eliminated any chance of them replying to a fan's comment.

Bangtan Boys! Look at them!

I found this out by chance on a particular video(which by now, most of those gross comments have been deleted). The original story, written by Esther Lee (which I viewed through this screencap, god I gave up on finding the comment), blew up and I saw a few fans admitting to and apologizing for their comments, which is a good development. Recognizing the problem, becoming genuinely apologetic, and then fixing the problem are all actions that show good character! Also, these are steps we all have to take in order to become better fans, and have a better relationship with our idols. 

A comment that I saw on this issue in the video brought up a good point on the hardships of international fans. If idols start to grow more distant because of events like these, then how are fans supposed to interact with them and reach them? With the ever growing technology(bless the V app), idols are growing closer to fans around the world, when before, if you were an international fan, it was pretty much like, "welp, good luck with that." Why would we push them away again? 

Although those fans that commented their dirty thoughts are not exactly like extreme sasaeng fans, but their comments were very hurtful to BTS and made them extremely uncomfortable. These exact thoughts are what cause sasaeng fans to do what they do.

So you might ask: well, what am I trying to say we, fans, should do? 

First of all, thoughts belong to their own person, I'm not about to say, "Oh, you can't write fanfiction of that at all!" or "You can't think like that at all!" Everybody has their own interests and kinks and whatever, and I'm not going to judge them. I just want to advise fans to take precautions when it comes to their fangirl/fanboy feelings. Not only think about your idols but also think about the people that might come across your comment/fanfiction. My best advice is to keep dirty comments to yourselves, and if your fanfiction is 19+, be sure to rate it that way and don't put it on full display for just anyone to read.

Idols are people. They don't want to see fans sexualizing/fetishizing them. They aren't perfect, and they're going to make mistakes. They're going to probably eventually date and then marry someone. It's their life, respect them, respect their choices, and just enjoy what they give to you, whether it's music, performance, movies, tv shows, etc.

I know I didn't sum up all the problems with idolization in fandoms but I'm tired. 
I think I've said all I could. 
Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Listen to BTS if you haven't already. *whispers* Join the ARMYyyyy