Big Hit Entertainment apologizes after BTS is accused of being “Misogynistic” towards women
After months of waiting for a response from the agency, fans finally have the answer they need after getting suspicious over alleged misogynistic lyrics was found in BTS‘ tracks.
On July 6th, Big Hit Entertainment responded and apologized for the lyric controversy. In a statement, they said, “We apologize to all the fans who may have felt uncomfortable with the BTS lyrics and SNS content.”
Since the end of last year, many of BTS’ lyrics have gone under scrutiny on online communities as fans pointed out how misogynistic some of the lines sounded as well as some of the group’s SNS posts. For example, Rap Monster‘s lyrics for his mixtape for the song “Joke” reads: ‘Yes, you’re the best woman, being bossy (갑질) / so you do f***ing well, being bossy (갑질) / so good luck, being bossy (갑질) / now that I think about it, you were never the boss / Instead of calling you boss, I’ll call you gonorrhea (임질)’. Additionally, in the group’s track “Hormone War” has a line that reads: ‘A woman is the best gift (여자는 최고의 선물이야).’
These types of lyrics had fans demanding an answer from the agency, prompting them to start a hashtag #WeWantBTSFeedback, or #BTS피드백을원합니다.
Posting an apology to fans via the group’s fan cafe, Big Hit Entertainment wrote a clarification after examining the lyrics under the spotlight.
“We recognize the misogyny lyrics controversy regarding BTS’ lyrics near the end of 2015, and have reviewed the lyrics again. Regardless of the creator’s intention, we found that the lyrics could be misleading and derogatory towards women, therefore causing some people discomfort. We are also confirming that some of BTS’ SNS content could be regarded as offensive towards women.”
The agency continues to apologize for not expressing their position on the matter right away as they wanted to relay accurate information before making a statement, thus relaying their apologies for making fans worry over the matter.
“Through self-review and discussion, music and other creativity activities are a part of our personal growth experience which can be affected by things we can’t be free of such as societal prejudice and mistakes as seen and learned in society. Additionally, we have learned that a woman’s role and value in society can be wrongly defined through a male’s point of view.”
“BTS is aware of their position as an idol group who are part of the popular cultural trends and whose actions have a big impact on people and society. As the content producer [for BTS], Big Hit Entertainment is also largely responsible for not being more cautious, and we would like to apologize for causing people worry. Please continue to keep an eye on BTS’ growth, and if you continue to point out our shortcomings, we will take the advice of fans and the community and continue to work hard.”
Source: Herald Corp
