There are several meanings for the word simp. Originally speaking it is a shortened form of simpleton, meaning fool or silly person. But, as generations passed, the word came to take on a new meaning.
So what does simp mean now and why are there so many memes about it?
Generally the term is used to describe a man who would do absolutely anything to win over or please a woman. So, if someone is ‘simping’ it means that they are essentially begging or doing anything a girl wants them to do.
According to the source it supposedly derived from – video sharing platform TikTok – there are several signs of a simp:
- Always trying to impress a woman
- Has no natural charm or game so they resort to just doing anything for the woman to grab her attention
- They would let a girl walk all over them for the smallest chance
- Defends the woman against any perceived threat or insult
And the most important one? The woman typically does not want him back. Thus Simp Nation was born.
That is a basic and very hetronormative explanation of the infamous simp. The internet has of course taken the word and used it to describe almost anything or anyone. It does not necessarily have to be a man hopelessly chasing after a woman.
It seems to just be another word to describe the Friend Zone Guy – essentially a person who tries to attract people through niceness and obsession instead of just through Tinder like the rest of us.
Is complete devotion a good thing or is it creepy and desperate?
Now complete devotion might sound lovely on paper but in reality is mostly just creepy and desperate. This is not the romantic devotion no, more like the devotion of a stalker.
So where did all this come from?
The majority seem to think that TikTok is the cause for the latest trend. But no one really knows or really cares. What people really care about is that it apparently stands for “Sucker Idolising Mediocre P*ssy.”
Words like simp and incel (involuntarily celibate) seem to be used constantly to describe a certain type of men – especially men online. And as a result many men have been claiming it as misandry.
For those who do not know, misandry is the prejudice against men. The term incel especially is used to refer men who are misogynistic in some way, whether they realise it or not.
It means the type of men that expect sex from women because that is their birth right. Men like that. But not all men are like that and so another movement was born. #notallmen.
People argue that simp just refers to the ideal of a submissive man, ergo cannot be sexist as that would imply that all men must be dominant.
Is simp just another internet fad or is it something deeper?
People argue that simp just refers to the ideal of a submissive man, ergo cannot be sexist as that would imply that all men must be dominant.
There is controversy with the word and the connotations, just as there is with most things. Some say that the men who support #notallmen are actually just as bad as the men they claim they’re different from. Others say that now women are the sexist ones.
It is an ever murkier grey area when it comes to spotting sexism online. Are words like this really just men hating? Do all men deserve the category? Is the new meaning of simp really all that deep?
Personally, I believe simp is just another internet fad doomed to fade away. Others see it as an attack. Some just as a funny word that makes their tweets more popular. Each to their own.
Featured image: Flickr
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