The Origin Story Behind The BTS ARMY's "I Purple You" Motto Is So Sweet
Usually, fans show their love for their favorite celebrities by tweeting them sweet messages, creating beautiful fan art, and organizing special fan projects. While the BTS ARMY does all those things, they also have a phrase that is unique to them in order to show BTS how much they care and appreciate them: "I purple you." It's basically fans' way of saying, "I love you," using BTS' signature color. Purple may be synonymous with BTS now, but surprisingly, it wasn't always this way. The meaning behind "I purple you" is so special and explains why BTS and their fans use the phrase so much.
To give you an idea how frequently the color pops up in the BTS fandom, just take a look at BTS' social media pages. On Twitter, for example, RM, Jin, Suga. J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook often use purple hearts to end their tweets. If you use the #BTS hashtag, you'll also notice that a purple logo often appears next to the word. Additionally, BTS' partnerships with Starbucks and FILA include a large array of purple products to go along with the group's brand.
You may think purple was always BTS' color, but that's actually not the case. In fact, the group's tie to the color was totally accidental. V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, first said "I purple you" during BTS' third muster — their annual fan meeting — back in November 2016. As purple light touched the audience, V explained the meaning behind the color. "Do you know what purple means? Purple is the last color of the rainbow colors, so it means I will trust and love you for a long time," he said.
Both BTS and ARMY were impressed he knew this, but then V revealed he was just kidding. "I just made it up," V admitted. Still, he continued talking about the significance behind the color and how it related to his love for fans. "I wish I can see you for a long time, just like the meaning of purple. We'll always trust you and go up the stairs with you," V said.
From that point on, fans declared purple as BTS' color, and "I purple you" as their way of telling BTS how much they love them. BTS, likewise, use the phrase to express their love for ARMY. Fans can usually hear the members say the line during their ending speeches at their concerts or during their award show speeches. Every time they say it, fans know BTS is thanking them for their support.
Out of all the members, V tends to say "I purple you" the most and it's likely because he was the the one to coin the phrase. In fact, V says it so much, fans have created compilation videos on YouTube, like the one below.
On Nov. 13, 2019, fans celebrated the three-year-anniversary of the motto's origin story. Now that you're up to speed with the meaning behind "I purple you," you can use it to show BTS some love, too.
