{{short description|Slang for sycophancy}} {{italic title}} {{Other uses}} {{good article}} {{pp-protected|reason=Persistent disruptive editing. Restoring previous indef protection removed after page moves.|small=yes}} '''''Simp''''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|m|p|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-simp.wav}}) is a slang term describing someone who exhibits excessive sympathy and attention toward another person, typically to someone who does not reciprocate the same feelings, in pursuit of affection or a sexual relationship.<ref name="Marcus" /><ref name="Grayson" /> The term originated as a shortening of "simpleton" in the early 20th century. During the 1980s, American rappers such as Hugh E.M.C., Too Short, Sir Mix-a-Lot, 2Pac, Three 6 Mafia and E-40 made use of the term in their songs. By the early 2010s, the term was adopted by members of the manosphere, incel, and Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) forums.
The term had sporadic usage until gaining popularity on social media in 2019 as an Internet slang term.<ref name="3TRnJ" /> This behavior, recognized as '''''simping''''',<ref name="María" /> is directed towards a variety of targets, including celebrities,<ref name="Marcus" /> politicians,<ref name="Ruiz" /><ref name="Thalen" /> e-girls, and e-boys.<ref name="Sage" />
== Origins ==
Originally a shortening of "simpleton", the ''New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English'' traces usage of the noun ''simp'' to 1903.<ref name="Partridge" /> An article in the February 1917 edition of ''Motion Picture Magazine'' by Arthur Le Kaser has an animated drawing of a female director yelling at a male leading man through a megaphone "Kiss Her You Simp, Hurry Up Camera!" The shortening has appeared, for example, in ''The New York Times'' as early as 1923,<ref name="Marcus" /> when the paper reported on a letter by one Lillian Henderson criticizing the members of two clubs in Atlantic City for unmarried men:
<blockquote>Those bachelor simps are afraid to take a chance and too tight to share their earnings with a wife.<ref name="NYT Bachelors" /></blockquote>
''Simp'' began to have the connotation of someone being "soft" and "overly sympathetic" in the 1980s, when it was used by West Coast rappers such as Hugh E.M.C., Too Short, and E-40.<ref name="Marcus" /> Simp was referenced by Sir Mix-a-Lot in his 1992 hit "Baby Got Back" in the lyrics, "A lot of simps won't like this song". 2Pac also used the term in his song "If I Die 2Nite" on his 1995 album ''Me Against the World''. In 1999, the term was used in the Three 6 Mafia song "Sippin' on Some Syrup"<ref name="María" /><ref name="Taylor" /> as an antonym for ''pimp'';<ref name="Jones" /> Too Short has described a "simp" as equivalent to "a knockoff pimp".<ref name="Marcus" /> The term has been expressed as a backronym for ''Sucker/Sucka Idolizing Mediocre Pussy'',<ref name="María" /><ref name="Taylor" /><ref name="Rolli" /> which according to ''Gizmodo Australia'' is "telling of its 20th century origins".<ref name="Jones" />
A definition of ''simp'' appeared on ''Urban Dictionary'' in 2003,<ref>{{cite web |title=Simp |url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=simp |website=Urban Dictionary (Archived) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024233602/http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=simp |access-date=27 December 2024| archive-date=24 October 2004 }}</ref> and the word continued to be used by rappers into the 2010s, when it was adopted by members of the manosphere,<ref name="Marcus" /> incel,<ref name="María" /> and Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) forums<ref name="Taylor" /> alongside similar derogatory terms such as ''cuck'', ''beta'', and ''white knight''.<ref name="María" /><ref name="Taylor" />{{pb}}The word became widely popular on TikTok in 2019,<ref name="Marcus" /> and soon also became popular on Twitch<ref name="Grayson" /> and Twitter.<ref name="María" /> According to Google Trends, interest in the term doubled between late 2018 and late 2019.<ref name="Taylor" />
The word has been used by some fan communities who call themselves "simps" for a celebrity figure.<ref name="Marcus" /> According to ''The Daily Dot'', the term is often used ironically;<ref name="María" /> similarly, Magdalene Taylor at ''MEL Magazine'' said the term is "used mostly as a joke".<ref name="Taylor" /> Nathan Grayson writes at ''Kotaku'' that it is "difficult to find breaks in the chain of the word's linguistic lineage".<ref name="Grayson" />
== Contemporary usage == In July 2020, the official Twitter account for Archie Comics said that it would permanently ban people from its YouTube channel for comments calling the comics' main character, Archie Andrews, a simp.<ref name="Paul" /> ''The A.V. Club'' opined that, while it was "pretty safe to say that Archie Andrews is, quite simply, the simpiest of the simps," the Twitter post was likely an attempt at exploiting the Streisand effect for viral marketing. Contrary to the Twitter post, few, if any, comments on the Archie Comics YouTube channel accused the character of being a simp.<ref name="Paul" />
In August 2020, Australian politician Bill Shorten used the term on national television, saying on an ABC segment that Prime Minister Scott Morrison needed "to make sure he doesn't look like he's just a simp to Donald Trump".<ref name="Jones" />
In September 2020, users of Reddit created a pledge called "No Simp September", similar to No Nut November (a month-long abstention from masturbation). Participation in "No Simp September" required posters to abstain from upvoting women's photos, watching pornography, and "giving money to online sex workers", including "e-girls".<ref name="Sage" /> In October, Mikael Thalen at ''The Daily Dot'' described Twitter users as "simping hard" over leaked photos of Hunter Biden.<ref name="Thalen" />
A November 20 article in ''Vox'' about posting cringe on TikTok discussed the character of TikTok user Nate Varrone called "Mr. Simp Sexual", of the "biggest stars" of the genre.<ref name="Jennings" /> Varrone explained the character thus: <blockquote>He's from Michigan and he had a girlfriend named Melissa that he just wants back so fucking badly [...] He's just not in a good place right now, emotionally. I think he uses TikTok to fill the hole in his heart and find a new lover. The horniness this guy has, no human has ever felt that amount of horny in their entire life. It's like he has a curse. He thinks he has to hook up immediately or else he'll die.<ref name="Jennings" /></blockquote>
In January 2021, ''Vogue'' reported on an "adoring" Instagram account of self-declared "simps" expressing affection toward then-Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff.<ref name="Ruiz" /> Ossoff won the election and was sworn in as a senator on January 20, 2021.<ref name="ossoff sworn in" />
== Reception ==
Upon achieving broad popularity, it began to be used more loosely.<ref name="Zane" /><ref name="Soen" /> In April 2020, an opinion piece in ''Men's Health'' described the use of the term as "pretty messed up", and men who labeled others with the term as "entitled assholes", saying, "if you've ever complimented a woman, apparently you're a simp".<ref name="Zane" /> Hayley Soen writes at ''The Tab'' that "the simp has come to take the place of the softboi", describing him as "a boy who is a romantic failure [...] definitely the type of boy you'd tell the girls is 'a little too nice{{' "}}, and "probably doesn't even have a lads' group chat"; Soen writes that the term is used "sometimes to describe even the bare minimum level of respect between a man and a woman".<ref name="Soen" />
According to the ''Evening Standard'', while "the term could also have some value if it undermines a culture of stringing people along emotionally", it also had "potentially offensive connotations".<ref name="Mallinson" /> In ''The New York Times'', Ezra Marcus and Jonah Bromwich describe the term as a misogynist insult, one which "expresses discomfort with equality when it comes to gender, and offers a simple way to dismiss the people causing that discomfort".<ref name="Marcus" />
Anna María of ''The Daily Dot'' writes that while the term is mostly used "ironically and without misogynistic undertones", "it doesn't take much to be called a simp" in some anti-feminist spaces, and that "everything from pining after a crush to actually respecting women could be considered simping".<ref name="María" /> Taylor writes that the idea of the "simp" most often "seems to be a guy who simply treats women well, or just not like trash" and is "just another scapegoat for MGTOW misogyny".<ref name="Taylor" />
=== Twitch ban ===
In May 2020, ''Kotaku'' reported that Twitch was "cracking down on" custom emotes using the word "simp", and had been "on a simp emote deleting spree" since late February.<ref name="Grayson" /> Twitch often requires its "partners" to submit custom emotes for approval prior to users being permitted to embed them; most of these emotes simply depicted a streamer or a fictional character holding up a sign with "SIMP" written on it, or were rasterizations of the text of the word itself.<ref name="Grayson" /> By December 2020, the word was described as a "favorite in the Twitch community" by ''The Verge''.<ref name="Kastrenakes" />
Twitch announced in December 2020 that administrative action would be taken against the accounts of streamers and commentators who used the word, along with "incel" and "virgin", saying that those words were offensive;<ref name="Provenzano" /><ref name="Palmer" /><ref name="Winslow" /><ref name="Orland" /> Twitch COO Sara Clemens said during a "town hall" live-stream that, while use of the words would be permitted under approved circumstances, Twitch would be "proactively denying" custom emotes that included the words.<ref name="Kastrenakes" /><ref name="Palmer" /> This ban was part of a broader expansion of Twitch's list of forbidden content;<ref name="Orland" /> the policy, viewable on Twitch's website, also prohibited posting that "expresses inferiority" based on "moral deficiencies".<ref name="Hateful Conduct" /> At the time of the announcement, the policy was planned to take effect on January 22, 2021.<ref name="Palmer" /><ref name="Winslow" /><ref name="Hateful Conduct" />
Reception to the announcement and proposed policy changes was largely negative; Bryan Rolli at ''The Daily Dot'' wrote that Twitch would "probably have a hell of a time enforcing the 'simp' ban",<ref name="Rolli" /> and ''Gizmodo'' said sarcastically that "actual simps and virgins [were] still welcome" on the streaming site.<ref name="Provenzano" /> ''Screen Rant'' said that a blanket ban on "simp", "incel" and "virgin" contrasted unfavorably with a "context is needed" policy on the much more offensive racial slur "nigger".<ref name="Ramos" /> According to ''Ars Technica'', Twitch had an "inconsistent history in responding to reports of problematic behavior".<ref name="Orland" />
In interviews with ''Kotaku'', people affected by the ban described their channels' use of the term as mostly benign—one streamer said it was "mostly banter and, in some cases, a compliment".<ref name="Grayson" /> Another streamer, while acknowledging that the word was sometimes used to describe "quite creepy" behavior, said her use of a "simp" emote was "mainly just a joke within my community".<ref name="Grayson" />
== See also == * Glossary of 2020s slang * {{Annotated link|Reply guy}} * {{Annotated link|Alpha and beta male}} * {{Annotated link|Nice guy}} * {{Annotated link|Soy boy}}
== References ==
{{reflist|1=30em|refs= <ref name="Ruiz">{{cite web | url = https://www.vogue.com/article/jon-ossoff-internet-thirst-strong | title = The Internet Thirst for Jon Ossoff Is Strong | last = Ruiz | first = Michelle | website = Vogue | date = 4 January 2021 | access-date = 6 January 2021 | archive-date = 6 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210106101620/https://www.vogue.com/article/jon-ossoff-internet-thirst-strong | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="NYT Bachelors">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1923/05/14/archives/calls-bachelors-simps-afraid-to-take-a-chance-says-woman-referring.html | url-access = subscription | title = Calls Bachelors 'Simps.': 'Afraid to Take a Chance,' Says Woman Referring to Club. <!-- Note that full stops and quotation marks are part of the original title, sic erat scriptum. --> | website = The New York Times | date = 14 May 1923 | access-date = 23 December 2020 | archive-date = 10 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210110022403/https://www.nytimes.com/1923/05/14/archives/calls-bachelors-simps-afraid-to-take-a-chance-says-woman-referring.html | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Zane">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a31994140/what-is-simping/ | title = Here's What It Means When Someone Calls You a 'Simp' | last = Zane | first = Zachary | website = Men's Health | date = 2 April 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 11 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201111041226/https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a31994140/what-is-simping/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Jones">{{cite web | url = https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/australian-politicians-say-simp-bill-shorten-scott-morrison-donald-trump/ | title = Bill Shorten Told Scott Morrison to not Look Like a 'Simp' on National TV | last = Jones | first = Tegan | website = Gizmodo Australia | date = 17 August 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 29 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201229232220/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/australian-politicians-say-simp-bill-shorten-scott-morrison-donald-trump/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Thalen">{{cite web | url = https://www.dailydot.com/debug/hunter-biden-simps-photo-memes/ | title = People are simping hard over those Hunter Biden photos | last = Thalen | first = Mikael | website = The Daily Dot | date = 14 October 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 3 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210203033841/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/hunter-biden-simps-photo-memes/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="María">{{cite web | url = https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/what-does-simp-mean-meme/ | title = Here's why people are calling each other 'simps' online | last = María | first = Anna | website = The Daily Dot | date = 3 June 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 11 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210111111416/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/what-does-simp-mean-meme/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Rolli">{{cite web | url = https://www.dailydot.com/debug/twitch-simp-ban-insult/ | title = Twitch won't let you call people 'simp' anymore | last = Rolli | first = Bryan | website = The Daily Dot | date = 17 December 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 17 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217143832/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/twitch-simp-ban-insult/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Orland">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/12/twitch-will-ban-incel-and-virgin-as-sexual-insults/ | title = 'Simp,' 'incel' part of newly banned insults on Twitch | last = Orland | first = Kyle | website = Ars Technica | date = 17 December 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 18 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201218014248/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/12/twitch-will-ban-incel-and-virgin-as-sexual-insults/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Hateful Conduct">{{cite web | url = https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/harassment/20210122/ | title = Hateful Conduct and Harassment | publisher = Twitch.tv | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 17 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217222514/https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/harassment/20210122/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Winslow">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-bans-simp-incel-and-more-in-new-harassment-policy-overhaul/1100-6485636/ | title = Twitch Bans 'Simp,' 'Incel,' And More In New Harassment Policy Overhaul | last = Winslow | first = Jeremy | website = GameSpot | date = 17 December 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201219110230/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-bans-simp-incel-and-more-in-new-harassment-policy-overhaul/1100-6485636/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Ramos">{{cite web | url = https://screenrant.com/twitch-ban-words-simp-virgin-not-n-word/ | title = Twitch Bans Words 'Simp' & 'Virgin' – But It Won't Ban the N-Word | last = Ramos | first = Alexandra | website = Screen Rant | date = 17 December 2020 | access-date = 19 December 2020 | archive-date = 21 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201221142925/https://screenrant.com/twitch-ban-words-simp-virgin-not-n-word/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Palmer">{{cite news | url = https://www.newsweek.com/twitch-simp-incel-ban-1555622 | title = Twitch Includes 'Incel' and 'Simp' As Banned Insults in Harassment Policy | last = Palmer | first = Ewan | website = Newsweek | date = 17 December 2020 | access-date = 18 December 2020 | archive-date = 17 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217232511/https://www.newsweek.com/twitch-simp-incel-ban-1555622 | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Sage">{{cite news | url = https://www.pittsburghcurrent.com/peep-show-no-simp-september-frustrates-online-sex-workers/ | title = Peepshow: No Simp September Frustrates Online Sex Workers | last = Sage | first = Jessie | website = Pittsburgh Current | date = 11 September 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 25 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201125054556/https://www.pittsburghcurrent.com/peep-show-no-simp-september-frustrates-online-sex-workers/ | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Grayson">{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/twitch-is-cracking-down-on-simp-emotes-because-of-haras-1843347454 | title = Twitch Is Cracking Down On Simp Emotes Over Harassment Fears | last = Grayson | first = Nathan | website = Kotaku | date = 8 May 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201216025453/https://kotaku.com/twitch-is-cracking-down-on-simp-emotes-because-of-haras-1843347454 | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Paul">{{cite web | url = https://www.avclub.com/call-archie-a-simp-at-your-own-peril-warns-archie-co-1844458421 | title = Call Archie a 'simp' at your own peril, warns Archie Comics | last = Paul | first = Andrew | website = The A.V. Club | date = 21 July 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 11 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201111001123/https://news.avclub.com/call-archie-a-simp-at-your-own-peril-warns-archie-co-1844458421 | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Soen">{{cite web | url = https://thetab.com/uk/2020/05/13/what-is-a-simp-defined-156386 | title = What exactly is a 'simp' and is my boyfriend one? | last = Soen | first = Hayley | website = The Tab | date = 13 May 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 9 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210109073328/https://thetab.com/uk/2020/05/13/what-is-a-simp-defined-156386 | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Jennings">{{cite news | url = https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21575707/tiktok-cringe | title = Cringe TikTok is taking over | last = Jennings | first = Rebecca | website = Vox | date = 20 November 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 2 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201202181529/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21575707/tiktok-cringe | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Marcus">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/style/simp-history-slang.html | url-access = limited | title = A Short History of 'Simp' | last1 = Marcus | first1 = Ezra | last2 = Bromwich | first2 = Jonah Engel | website = The New York Times | date = 7 July 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201216231406/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/style/simp-history-slang.html | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Mallinson">{{cite web | url = https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/what-does-simp-mean-tiktok-phrase-explained-a4452456.html | title = What does 'simp' mean? The TikTok phrase explained | last = Mallinson | first = Tilda | website = Evening Standard | date = 28 May 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 17 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201017055931/https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/what-does-simp-mean-tiktok-phrase-explained-a4452456.html | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Provenzano">{{cite web | url = https://gizmodo.com/twitch-bans-the-words-simp-and-virgin-actual-simps-and-1845899833 | title = Twitch Bans the Words 'Simp' and 'Virgin' (Actual Simps And Virgins Still Welcome) | last = Provenzano | first = Brianna | website = Gizmodo | date = 16 December 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 17 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217004955/https://gizmodo.com/twitch-bans-the-words-simp-and-virgin-actual-simps-and-1845899833 | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Kastrenakes">{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/16/22179256/twitch-bans-simp-virgin-incel-new-sexual-harassment-policy | title = Twitch bans 'simp' | last = Kastrenakes | first = Jacob | website = The Verge | date = 16 December 2020 | access-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-date = 16 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201216212925/https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/16/22179256/twitch-bans-simp-virgin-incel-new-sexual-harassment-policy | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="Partridge">{{cite book | author1 = Victor, Terry | author2 = Partridge, Eric | author3 = Dalzell, Tom | title = The new Partridge dictionary of slang and unconventional English | publisher = Routledge | location = New York | year = 2006 | page = 1752 | isbn = 0-415-25937-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/newpartridgedict00tomd/page/1752 | url-access = registration }}</ref> <ref name="Taylor">{{cite web | last = Taylor | first = Magdalene | title = Welcome to Simp Nation, TikTok's New Softboi Club | url = https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/simp-simping-meaning-tiktok-simpnation | website = MEL Magazine | date = 16 October 2019 | access-date = 21 January 2021 | archive-date = 15 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201215073024/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/simp-simping-meaning-tiktok-simpnation | url-status = live }}</ref> <ref name="3TRnJ">{{Cite web | last = Ryu | first = Jenna | title = Men who are 'too nice' to women are called 'simps.' Why this insult is problematic. | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/12/28/simp-definition-problematic-insult/8922392002/ | access-date = 2022-06-22 | website = USA TODAY | language = en-US }}</ref> <ref name="ossoff sworn in">{{Cite news | last = Pramuk | first = Jacob | date = January 20, 2021 | title = Democrats take Senate majority, sealing control of the White House and Congress | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/20/democrats-to-take-senate-majority-when-warnock-ossoff-and-padilla-are-sworn-in.html | access-date = January 20, 2021 | publisher = CNBC }}</ref> }}
== External links ==
* {{wiktionary-inline}} {{Generation Z slang}} {{Manosphere}} Category:1900s neologisms Category:1980s slang Category:1990s slang Category:2010s slang Category:2019 in Internet culture Category:2020s slang Category:African-American slang Category:Celebrity fandom Category:Hip-hop phrases Category:Human sexuality Category:Internet slang Category:Interpersonal attraction Category:Manosphere Category:Pejorative terms for people