Belgian clothing brand JBC has announced that it will no longer sell a sweater with the word "simp" on the front after it faced backlash on social media.
The slang word - voted teen word of the year in a VRT poll - has had a multitude of meanings, but is currently commonly defined as a term describing a person who performs excessive sympathy and attention toward another person, generally in pursuit of a sexual relationship.
The now-deleted Instagram post of the sweatshirt with the word Simp on it from Belgium clothing brand JCB.
This definition, however, was not the one JBC had consulted.
"We based our product on the meaning of the word as communicated by VRT," Spokesperson Katrien Vangrunderbeek told De Standaard. VRT defined the word as a boy who spends too much effort on a girl he likes.
The word - more commonly used as an insult - has even been banned on certain platforms and forums, and quickly led to the brand being mocked online and on a now-deleted Instagram post of theirs.
"Of course, this is not what we had in mind," said Vangrunderbeek. "And that is why we decided to take the jumper off the shelves."
Anyone who has purchased the sweater can return it for their money back.
The Brussels Times
