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Drag queen Kim Chi’s ‘Stan BTS’ tweet goes viral

By Yim Hyun-su

  • Published : Feb 14, 2019 - 13:17
  • Updated : Feb 14, 2019 - 13:17

Drag queen Kim Chi, who famously competed on season eight of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” has gone public with fervent support of boy band BTS, simply tweeting “Stan BTS” with a picture of the performer in a bold, bright purple dress against a similar backdrop.

The Korean-American performer, whose real name is Shin Sang-young, pleasantly surprised the BTS Army fan club Wednesday with the tweet that has been liked over 64,000 times and shared nearly 20,000 times.

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Drag queen Kim Chi dons purple. (Kim Chi’s Twitter)
The term “Stan” comes from the 2000 song by Eminem of the same name about an eponymous crazed fan, and has recently been used to indicate one’s ardent and enthusiastic support for a performer or group.

One fan sounded excited, writing, “This is excellence” in all capital letters, while another fan wrote, “Omg Kim Chi, I thought it was impossible for me to love you more than I already do.”

Some fans noted the specific details, as Kim Chi, who is known for dramatic makeup and outfits, donned purple from head to toe, slapping on generous gobs of purple pearl eye shadow and sporting matching gloves.

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The drag performer also posed in front of two walls resembling the group’s official logo of two trapezoids next to each other with the outer parts a little longer.

One observant tweeter replied, “You got the color and symbol.” Purple has become heavily associated with BTS since bandmate V came up with the phrase “I purple you” on the spot during a fan event in 2016.

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BTS' official logo in black and white. (Big Hit Entertainment)
As purple (or more accurately, violet) is the seventh and last color of the rainbow, the intended meaning was that he wanted to go to the very end with the group’s fans, V later explained.

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BTS speaks at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday afternoon. (Yonhap)
Others focused on the messages BTS and Kim Chi might share in endorsing, writing, “Yes girl! They’re sincere and genuine people. And they spread a message of inclusivity and positivity to the world. We need more of that, especially right now.”

In September, BTS broke from norms in K-pop by encouraging young people to speak for themselves regardless of their origin, skin color or gender identity during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It is still a rare move in Korea for a public figure to publicly support sexual minorities.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)