Ok, let me explain: every so often, this picture comes up in the news. They're fan letters to Taeyeon (SNSD), and the post will ALWAYS say they were found in the trash. (Really, SNSD left behind a bunch of stuff at a music show, the cleaning lady threw them out, they were found, etc. etc....ANYWAYS).
Taeyeon is not the only idol that has been accused of "throwing away" her fans' love & for "not caring enough."
My question is this: Does it really matter?
I know there are fans (at least, there are Korean fans) that really, truly believe that idols should treasure & keep everything they receive from fans. But can you imagine how many gifts, letters, messages, etc. etc they receive?
Fans do put a lot of time & money into preparing gifts and letters for idols.
This is part of why VIXX no longer accepts gifts from fans, rather, they only accept handwritten letters & letters written on the back of printed photos-- they want fans to focus on the relationship between fans and VIXX, not on how much money is being spent on them. In some fandoms, gifts become a competition to see which fan's gifts will be worn or shown public ally by the idol first.
But when you receive as many gifts as some idols do, how can they possible keep & cherish them all?
Personally, I think the value that the idols should keep & cherish is the MESSAGE & the ENERGY that is shared through the letter or gift.
While it'd be great if they could keep every single fan gift & letter & screen cap every single message, it's just not realistically possible for them. Anytime I have sent a letter or message, I have sent it in hopes that while reading it, my bias will receive some strength. I don't need them to cherish it forever: I just want to help support them in that moment.
