For many fans who may not know, The Pixel Project is a global non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women. The organization states that it has "a mission is to raise awareness, funds, and volunteer power for the cause to end νισℓєи¢є against women through campaigns, initiatives, projects, and programs at the intersection of social media, new technologies, and popular culture/the Arts.”
In late 2024, RM was featured by Pixel on its list of “16 Male Role Models Helping to Stop Vi0lence Against Women”. The Pixel Project selected him because of the progress he had made over the years in addressing his own biases against women, supporting women in the arts, and speaking out against νισℓєи¢є against women in the harshly patriarchal society of South кσяєα.
The project also cited RM as a case study in its 2025 Father’s Day op-ed about the importance of imperfect male role models. In that article, the organization praised the idol for showing a conscious effort to improve himself while challenging misogyny, ѕєχism, and toxic masculinity.
Two years after this recognition, it seems that everything has changed because of just one incident! The project recently issued a notable announcement regarding RM through its official website!
Specifically, on August 19, The Pixel Project published a statement titled “Statement from The Pixel Project: Regarding Kim Nam-Joon (RM)’s Photo with Chris Brown”, announcing that RM would be indefinitely suspended from the organization’s list of male role models. According to the statement, Pixel said the decision was effective immediately. The organization will also review and revise its 2025 Father’s Day op-ed, in which RM was previously featured as a case study.
The reason given by Pixel stems from an incident on August 12, when RM and j-hope flew to Toronto to attend a concert by Usher and Chris Brown. The moments shared by j-hope and the backstage photo posted by Chris Brown subsequently added fuel to the fire, sparking intense debate as Brown has long faced numerous allegations and controversies involving νισℓєи¢є and ѕєχual harαѕѕment against women.
The organization emphasized that even if RM and j-hope did not intend to turn the moment into a public endorsement of Brown or νισℓєи¢є against women, their level of fame had inadvertently “promoted” an abuser and downplayed the seriousness of gender-based νισℓєи¢є in front of a fanbase that is more than 90% women. Pixel also argued that this public αѕѕociation had caused emotional and psychological harm to many ARMYs, including those who are survivors of domestic νισℓєи¢є or ѕєχual νισℓєи¢є.
Notably, the organization also alleged that Chris Brown’s recent attack on a female ARMY using vulgar language stemmed from him viewing RM and j-hope’s appearance as a form of support for him.
Pixel stated, “The Pixel Project had been waiting for RM to issue a public statement or acknowledgement regarding the Chris Brown concert before we responded to this controversy. However, it has been a week of silence on RM’s part and that silence is deafening.” The organization also emphasized that it had never expected any male role model, including RM, to be perfect, but argued that being a decent human being also means being accountable when one’s choices hurt other people.
Following the statement, the ARMY community immediately expressed a wide range of opinions. Some fans believe that perhaps it is time for RM or j-hope to speak out about the situation instead of remaining silent, especially as the controversy continues to escalate. However, many other ARMYs oppose putting pressure on RM or any member to make a particular choice or issue a statement simply because fans want them to. One fan even pointed out: "To be honest, this title was given to him by them, but he’s never accepted or acknowledged it. So I don’t think he needs to be too bothered about the suspension.”
Meanwhile, some fans have questioned the consistency of Pixel’s decision. They pointed out that Bad Bunny — who is listed second on the organization’s same list of male role models alongside RM — has been seen on stage with or posing for photos with Chris Brown multiple times, even before RM and j-hope, yet has not been removed from the list. Fans are questioning whether Pixel is applying different standards to different artists, or, more negatively, whether the organization is simply taking advantage of the attention surrounding the controversy involving RM and j-hope to gain publicity.
On the other hand, ARMYs argue that constantly directing public anger toward BTS instead of the person directly responsible for the νισℓєи¢є only makes Chris Brown more emboldened, as he knows that he will never have to face the real consequences himself. Fans also question why the public and The Pixel Project do not view attending the concert purely from an artistic perspective, or see taking a casual photo together as nothing more than basic professional courtesy. In fact, BTS immediately deleted the video from the concert and refrained from posting photos or having any further interactions with Chris Brown once they noticed the backlash from fans.
Ultimately, many ARMYs believe that if Pixel wants RM to speak up or wants to show that they are truly an organization that cares about women, they should not apply double standards. Fans are also demanding a clear explanation from Pixel as to why Bad Bunny was not removed despite his own αѕѕociations with Chris Brown. Otherwise, they say they will not accept or support this decision.
