He was as soon as honored by the identical group.
Koreaboo
The backlash towards BTS, significantly its chief, RM, seems to be intensifying after the idol was seen attending a Chris Brown live performance and posing with him for a social media put up afterward.
The most recent pushback relating to the difficulty has come from a corporation advocating to cease violence towards ladies, referred to as The Pixel Venture. In 2024, they launched an “honor roll” of 16 male function fashions serving to to cease violence towards ladies. RM was a type of names. Nevertheless, on August 19, KST, the web site confirmed that his entry had been “indefinitely suspended.”
The Pixel Venture then issued a prolonged assertion confirming that RM’s affiliation with Chris Brown was the explanation for this latest improvement. Additionally they shared that the potential for his being featured on a future record of optimistic function fashions could be below assessment.
In 2024, we included Kim Nam-Joon – higher referred to as RM, the chief of BTS, the most important boy band on this planet – in our fifth honour roll of 16 male function fashions serving to to cease violence towards ladies. We did so in good religion after conducting due diligence which confirmed that he had taken steps through the years to deal with his personal internalised misogyny, assist ladies within the arts, and communicate out about violence towards ladies in intensely patriarchal South Korea. We additionally cited him as a case research in our Father’s Day 2025 op-ed on the significance of imperfect male function fashions as a result of, up till then, he had demonstrated the flexibility to carefully work on doing higher in terms of unlearning misogyny, sexism, and poisonous masculinity.
Efficient right this moment, we’re indefinitely suspending RM from our record of male function fashions.
We may even be reviewing and revising our Father’s Day 2025 op-ed that featured RM as a case research of an excellent however imperfect male function mannequin.
— The Pixel Venture
The group defined why it believed public accountability was obligatory on this case, citing BTS’s vital affect.
Intent doesn’t at all times align with affect. Even when RM (and J-Hope) didn’t intend for that image to be a public endorsement of an abuser or violence towards ladies, their stage of fame implies that they’ve routinely platformed Brown in entrance of their hundreds of thousands of followers and most of the people. In doing so, they’ve contributed to perpetuating the system that normalises violent males dealing with minimal penalties for gender-based violence. That is regardless of having a fandom that’s a minimum of 90% ladies and women.
— The Pixel Venture
The assertion referred to as out the BTS member not solely fpublicly or associating with Chris Brcly, but additionally for his continued silence on the difficulty.
The Pixel Venture had been ready for RM to concern a public assertion or acknowledgement relating to the Chris Brown live performance earlier than we responded to this controversy. Nevertheless, it has been per week of silence on RM’s half and that silence is deafening.
BTS is at present the most important boy band on this planet; their each motion has a huge effect and affect on popular culture and the worldwide viewers. Whether or not they prefer it or not, they’re public function fashions by default, and with this nice energy comes nice accountability.
We’ve got by no means anticipated any male function mannequin (together with RM) to be good. Everyone seems to be human in any case. However being a good human being additionally means being accountable when your selections harm different individuals.
— The Pixel Venture
The assertion concluded by urging each RM and J-Hope to take some sort of accountability, if not by apologizing for his or her mistake, then by supporting organizations serving to victims of home violence and sexual assault.
In the meantime, BTS can be dealing with criticism from followers for his or her newest endorsement deal:
