ARMY - The Devoted Fandom of BTS
(BANGTANTV, 2021)
Adorable Representative M.C. For Youth
Whether you have been a fan since day one or you're a new fan, you're now part of a gigantic family. The fandom called ARMY has a story behind it. The fandom name (ARMY) was coined on July 9, 2013, soon after the release of the band's first single called "2 Cool 4 Skool".
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The original acronym of ARMY stands for "Adorable Representative M.C. For Youth," but new meanings have been deciphered as time went by. The fandom name "ARMY" is created based on BTS' full name, "Bantan Sonyeondan," which loosely translates to "Bulletproof Boyscouts" in English. The known story behind the fandom's name is that BTS is the armor, and ARMY is the military, which is a metaphor for the boy band and their fans sticking together through thick and thin.
(Moon, 2020)
"ARMY" wasn't The First Choice
(WallpaperCave.,n.d.)
The Bells
Surprisingly, the "ARMY" wasn't the first fandom name they wanted to go with. RM revealed that they wanted to name their fandom "The Bells". According to RM, “When you say BTS, it stands for ‘bangtan’ in Korean, not ‘behind-the-scenes.’ I mean, for your information,” RM added. “It stands for ‘bangtan,’ and when you say ‘bell’ in Korean, it sounds like ‘bang wool.’ It starts with the same word, ‘bang.'”
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He continued, “So when we think of the fan name, someone brings up the idea, like, ‘What about the bell thing?’ Everybody rings their bells and [we’re] like, ‘Make some noise!’ and the Bells are like ‘ring-a-ling-a-ling.’ But thank God that [it changed], ARMY is so much better.”
(Pham, 2021)
Spotify Podcasts you must check out
References
BANGTANTV. (2021, October 1). [BANGTAN BOMB] How ARMY Was Put Together - BTS (방탄소년단) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7jEQOkxv5R4
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​BTS 4K wallpapers - wallpaper cave. (n.d.). WallpaperCave. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://wallpapercave.com/bts-4k-wallpapers
Moon, K. (2020, November 18). Inside the BTS Army, the fandom with unrivaled
organization. Time. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://time.com/5912998/bts-army/
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Pham, J. (2021, July 14). BTS just revealed they almost named their fans something other than Army. StyleCaster. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://stylecaster.com/bts-army-meaning/