BTS V pulls sassy move after ‘Swim' director deletes photo amid backlash

V has the last laugh after Tanu Muiño deleted a BTS photo following severe backlash.

The all boys band may have swept all three of their 2026 MTV VMAs nominations, but Taehyung had his own little victory lap with a photo that had already stirred up a fandom storm.

After the septet won Best Group, Best K-Pop and Song of the Year for SWIM, director Tanu Muiño shared a celebratory carousel featuring the all members.

READ MORE: RM reacts to BTS' Song of the Year VMA victory

Among the photos was one that immediately grabbed attention: All seven BTS members stood together while the director knelt in front of them in what has been described by fans and coverage of her work as her signature photo pose.

She captioned the post, “I could spend a lifetime watching you,” before marking their three VMAs wins.

But the internet, naturally, had other things to discuss.

Some viewers criticized the composition, arguing that having the seven men standing over a kneeling woman created a gendered or misogynistic visual.

Others were quick to point out that the pose wasn't invented for BTS. Muiño has repeatedly used the kneeling composition with artists she has worked with, including Harry Styles and Cardi B.

And then there was that eye contact.

In the photo, the Ukrainian music video director and designer appears to be looking toward Jungkook, while he is also caught looking in her direction.

That tiny detail sent a very different corner of the fandom into overdrive.

“Wtf is the eye contact with JK. damn,” one fan reacted.

“That eye contact,” another wrote.

Others found the interaction completely harmless and even adorable, with one writing, “Oh!! That’s so cute.”

As the backlash intensified, Muiño, 36, removed the photo from her carousel. That only added another layer to the online conversation, with some fans suggesting that the director had been forced to delete it after being targeted by angry reactions.

Just when the photo appeared to have vanished from the internet, V got a bold idea.

Taehyung posted the image on his own official Instagram Stories, even tagging Muiño, putting the same photograph back in front of his enormous audience rather than letting the controversy erase the celebratory moment.

What about fans? They absolutely loved the move.

“She got harassed and deleted this but Taehyung posting this on his 76.8M followers acc… I love when he’s so annoying. PLEASE NEVER CHANGE,” one fan wrote.

Another cheered, “Taehyung, you’re so funny… I hope you never go bald ever again.”

And another added, “Oh I love him so bad for this.”

Whether V intended it as a deliberate act of defiance against the critics or simply wanted to celebrate the director and the team's work, the effect was the same: the photo was back.

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Instead of allowing the deleted image to become the final word, he chose to share it himself, complete with a tag for the director which had fans framing the move as a very V-like act of rebellion.