By Alyssa Loughman

Simp [si–m–p]: noun, informal 

1. A fool; simpleton. (Dictionary.com, 2012)

Simp [si-m-p]:

A man that puts too much value on a female for no reason. (Urban Dictionary, 2012).

At first glance, both of the definitions above provide a frightening connection. The first definition provides that a simp is a foolish person, whereas the second definition provides that a simp is someone (typically male) that is kind to a woman with no reward. It can be implied that both definitions together provide that someone who displays helpfulness, or kindness, towards a female is foolish.

Simp culture – also known as simp nation – has become popular recently, due to a few media influences. These include Swedish Youtuber, Pewdiepie, and social media app, TikTok. Both Pewdiepie and users of TikTok have taken turns on criticising those who convey kindness towards females. Pewdiepie created a video titled ‘Never Call Me a Simp!’. The video starts off by making remarks such as “if you’ve ever so much [as] even said a nice thing to a woman – simp.” And “if you start shaking just by [sic] the thought of a woman being criticised, I’ve got bad news for you, you’re a simp, and nothing else.” He also makes a reference towards donations to female streamers (also known as ‘e-girls’), which states “imagine making a donation to an e-girl, pathetic.”

These remarks can have some devastating effects. 

Firstly, female gamers face daily challenges in a male-dominated industry, and having men supporting them can be one of the best ways to break the stereotypes, as well as stigma, about female streaming and gaming. Having large YouTubers endorse this simp culture breaks down everything these female streamers have worked for and discourages male gamers to support them. This not only delays the worldly acceptance of equality in the gaming world and the destruction of the stigma around feminism, but also takes us a step back in time. Thirty years ago, a woman was laughed at for going for a leadership position, now, with simp culture, we as a society are starting to head back down that pathway.

We need to consider how we can stop this simp culture. To eradicate this problem, we should start with education and awareness. The reason that this culture exists is that people don’t know any better than to follow the crowd. To break this new ‘trend’ we need to stray away from the pack and encourage simping without shame, as well as kindness towards everyone. By doing this, we encourage those who were shamed and labelled a simp, changing the narrative. If this happens, it will most definitely diminish this issue.

So, I leave you with one message: keep simping, stop shaming!