Pokimane believes the negative connotations associated with the term ‘simp’ have become so severe that her male friends sometimes need to think twice about defending her in fear of being labeled a simp by their viewers.
“Throughout my entire career as a female streamer, I have sensed, on numerous occasions, my male counterparts or male friends being afraid to stand up for me because they will be labeled simps,” she said during her stream on June 26.
She believes it’s a terrible thing for them to deal with.
However, she also insisted it ties into a bigger problem—reinforcing “lowkey misogyny” by discouraging men in the industry from doing anything nice for women.
Pokimane expressed her disapproval of the new-age term in general, claiming it crosses the line of being sexist. “You can simp for guys and girls. You can simp for your homie. But we’ve made it this crazy, sexist thing.”
Related: Who is Pokimane? Everything you need to know
For those unfamiliar with the term, it describes a person who excessively pines over someone who doesn’t reciprocate the feelings – typically someone famous like a streamer who isn’t even aware of their existence.
After widespread use among streamers and viewers, Twitch banned the term in Dec. 2020. However, rather than a “blanket ban,” they said bans would only be enforced when the term is used as an insult. Of course, what constitutes an insult is open to interpretation. So, the company clarified in their guidelines people will only be banned for using the term when negatively referring to someone’s sexual practices.
However, Pokimane believes it has a negative impact on the community, regardless of whether it’s used ‘in context.’ For that reason, she doesn’t tolerate it in her chat.
