I Wrote An Essay About Jin's Back

Because intellectualizing my experience is my best coping mechanism!😎

BTS has always been about sex, but they've always been very Victorian. BTS follows a formula we romantic comedy writers know well — seduction starts with the mind. A body is just a body until you give it context — until you give it meaning. The turn-on is most effective when you're primed for it. You are seduced by everything else first, and the body Is a secret. It's extra. And that is why Jin's bare back is so effective — it's not about the back but the story that came before it. So someone like me who likes my men big and counts Hopper in Stranger Things season 2 as my ideal body type — I found myself crying real horny tears over the slim stature of Jin. I was obsessing over the random dips and curves, my eyes wet, overwhelmed by the details. It's shocking, but it's not. The kpop system works a little too well. And again, it's not really about the back by itself — it's everything before it. Non-army doesn't get it. Fellow army nod in solemn solidarity. It's not an easy life.

I've talked about how each BTS member plays with their sexual power, and Jin doesn't. Everyone in BTS takes turns pulling back the sheet and pointing to their crotch, and Jin always avoids it. He prefers the smile or the wink — bright eyes cuteness to sexuality. This is a part of it too. Those of us who are Jin people make a little game of catching him outside of character — when he's talking about his pajamas or telling the members what to do — brat tamer Jin is built on top of dozens of little secret moments we aren't supposed to see. Jin has always been highly committed to work-life balance, which is sexy.

But this is a thirst trap — pure and simple. He wants us to ogle. He wants us to see him, to be seen. Thirst traps are often power plays. It's about claiming someone's attention-demanding it. He wants us to look at his back. The timing is likely not a coincidence. When you put his bare back in the context of everything else — there is something deeply poetic about it. Sometimes, I take my shirt off when I'm too hot or overwhelmed. It's a way to cool off, to release that energy. I doubt Jin is thinking about this that hard, but that's here too. Maybe he can finally breathe. Jin's chest always gets censored -- just the suggestion of chest will bring the editors out -- but everything is on display here. On his terms. Or is it? I have so much to say about how this is all going. Is this freedom, or is this another part of the game? Is this meant to be a distraction, or is this what freedom looks like? Time will only tell.

Jin talks a lot about his beauty, but one of the things that have always been apparent in how he talks about it is that his relationship with his looks was never about us. I always talk about how democratic BTS can feel, but Jin's beauty has never been considered a group project - it's him, and we can all watch. It's not an invitation to participate but more of an invitation to watch from the audience. Not too close. Thirst traps are all about intimacy, so he wants something else.

The photos after that cast Jin as the boyfriend — carefully framed boyfriend point of view shots that feel more like an invitation into his beauty — to fantasize. Jin always seemed a little uncomfortable with how we all wanted him, and his persona often felt like a dramatic friend-zoning, but these photos don't feel like that. Namjoon is a master at the boyfriend aesthetic, but Jin gives Namjoon a run for his money here. There's something even warmer about the editing and how he dresses. He looks like your almost 30 boyfriend — down to the oversized swim trunks and the single flying piece of hair. Jin doesn't reach for any specific aesthetic. There's no "mood" he's intentionally trying to cultivate. It's effortlessly inviting. You can imagine the conversation between the two of you. You can picture him asking if that photo looked good and wondering if you should take another one for Instagram. You can see yourself smiling at the phone, thinking about how hot he is, how much fun you're having, and how much you love your life together.

It's not about the photo. It's the world you build around the image.

Chapter 2 is scary -- but I'm here for it.

A podcast version of this essay will be available to subscribers along with a bigger essay about ALL THE NAKEDNESS. Subscribe to get it!