A MEMBER of BTS has revealed why he wore a durag during a live stream after receiving backlash over accusations of cultural appropriation.
V – real name, Kim Taehyung – held a brief livestream on WeVerse after attending an afterparty for rapper Lil Uzi Vert in Seoul.
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During the live stream, V spoke to fans when some of them noticed a red durag hanging on a keyboard stand behind him.
“I received it as a gift,” V said before grabbing it and putting it on for a few seconds and then quickly removing it.
He didn’t say who actually gave it to him but fans noticed from previous livestreams, meaning he may have had the durag for a while.
Historically, the durag is used to maintain hairstyles, particularly for Black men.
It became more popular in the 1990s by rappers such as Jay-Z, Nelly, and 50 Cent.
Many fans have come forward either criticizing or defending V for wearing the durag.
One fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “for people trying to downplay Taehyung wearing the durag: it’s part of black culture and used to protect our hair.”
The fan claimed that durags and other parts of Black culture have been used to portray “hood” or “gansta” vibes.
“He is not racist but it is ignorant,” the fan said.
Another fan said: “I wake up and the first thing I see is Tae wearing a durag. I’m crying so bad, what?”
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“Why the f**k Tae got a durag and which dumb**s gave it to him?” wrote a third person.
However, others came to V’s defense with one user writing: “Anyone can wear a durag. I see it all the time around me and yes I’m black.
“Taehyung always promotes black artists. He even works with them.”
Another person wrote: “As a black person, I don’t understand why Taehyung wearing a durag is offensive especially if its not being used in an offensive way and especially cause it was a gift. I don’t know, educate me if I’m wrong.”
“I’m not gonna respond anymore so I’ll leave with this,” wrote a third person.
“Ignorant means being unaware about something. I don’t think Tae is aware about the cultural significance or history of the durag, so I don’t think he acted maliciously, just without knowledge.”
V released his debut solo album Layover last month with music videos for all of the tracks.
He recently became the first K-pop artist to appear on Tiny Desk Korea, an international version of NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
On June 14, 2022, BTS announced they would pause all group activities as the members began their mandatory South Korean military service.
As of September 2023, three members have already enlisted: Jin, J-Hope, and Suga.
A reunion is planned for 2025 when all members are expected to complete their service.
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