Wallea Eaglehawk

Nikola Champlin

Padya Paramita

Through the darkness, I will love myself is an anthology written in response to, and inspired by, BTS' Love Yourself era. BTS are a seven member K-pop group from Seoul, South Korea who formed in 2013. Since then, they have become one of the most influential artists of the decade. This book exists to show the lasting impact of BTS' trilogy of albums Love Yourself: Her (2017), Love Yourself: Tear (2018) and Love Yourself: Answer (2018); subsequent tours of Love Yourself (2018-2019) and Speak Yourself (2019); BTS' Love Myself campaign to end violence towards children with UNICEF and; BTS' speech at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in 2018 where leader RM said: "I have many faults and I have many fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I'm starting to love myself, little by little." The message of self-love woven throughout BTS' work has deeply and profoundly impacted the lives and experiences of their fan base, ARMY. Through the darkness, I will love myself, is a testament to how BTS' message lives on to this day and is interpreted in a multitude of unique ways by each contributor from around the world. BTS say "Love yourself," but what exactly does that mean? What self-love is can be hard to define, and often even harder to practice. Through the darkness, I will love myself is a collection of creative works from 18 writers and poets, all ARMY, that seeks to examine what self-love, and self-hate, looks and feels like. Channelling lived-experience through characters, prose and redacted lines, this book doesn't aim to define self-love, it shows self-love and self-hate as a never-ending journey towards self-actualisation. From moments of joy, to the depths of despair, each contributor shares a unique perspective that speaks to a universal truth: the only way to survive whatever darkness we may be facing is to go right through the middle, one step at a time. Self-love isn't a destination, it exists and permeates through the darkness alongside us in every moment of the journey. It exists on the other side of self-hate, and often there is a give and take, one which is encapsulated within these pages. Through the darkness, I will love myself is a letter to the world: loving yourself isn't easy, but let's try anyway. One step at a time, into the darkness once more, together.

Padya Paramita

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