Karen (pejorative)

Last updated

Karen is a pejorative term for women seeming to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term also refers to memes depicting white women who use their privilege to demand their own way. [1] [2] Depictions also include demanding to "speak to the manager", being racist, being anti-vaccination, or sporting a particular bob cut hairstyle. [3] The term has been criticised for being sexist, ageist, misogynistic, or seeking to control female behaviour. [3] As of 2020, the term was increasingly being used in media and on social media as a general-purpose term for middle-aged white women, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. [1] The term has also been applied to male behaviour. [3] [4]

Contents

The Guardian called 2020 The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism. [5]

Origin

There are several possible origins of the term. [6] One theory is that it is an evolution of an AAVE linguistic term of referring to "unreasonable white women." [7] University of Virginia media researcher Meredith Clark has said that the idea of a white woman in the vicinity of whom Blacks need to be careful because she won't hesitate to use her "privilege" at the expense of others "has always been there; it just hasn't always been so specific to one person's name. [7] Karen has gone by different names. In the early 1990s, when "Baby Got Back" came out, it was Becky." [7] As late as 2018, before the use of Karen caught on, names matching particular incidents were used, such as "Barbecue Becky", "Cornerstore Caroline" and "Permit Patty". [8]

Another origin theory relates to Reddit, where Karen memes regarding entitled women date from December 2017, the earliest being from user karmacop9, whose rants about his ex-wife, Karen, went viral. The posts led to the creation of the subreddit r/FuckYouKaren, containing memes about the posts, and inspiring spinoffs including r/karen and r/EntitledKarens dedicated to criticizing Karens. [9] [10] Other uses of Karen as a joke punchline include Dane Cook's 2005 sketch "The Friend Nobody Likes" on his album Retaliation , [10] the airheaded character Karen from the 2004 film Mean Girls , and a 2016 Internet meme regarding a woman in an ad for the Nintendo Switch console who exhibits antisocial behavior and is given the nickname "antisocial Karen." [9] [11]

Meaning and use

Pictures of Kate Gosselin are often used to depict Karen, including the "can-I-speak-to-your-manager haircut". Kate Gosselin.jpg
Pictures of Kate Gosselin are often used to depict Karen, including the "can-I-speak-to-your-manager haircut".

Kansas State University professor Heather Suzanne Woods, whose research interests include memes, said a Karen's defining characteristics are "entitlement, selfishness, a desire to complain", and that a Karen "demands the world exist according to her standards with little regard for others, and she is willing to risk or demean others to achieve her ends." [7] Rachel Charlene Lewis, writing for Bitch , agrees, saying a Karen "sees no one as an individual, instead moving through the world prepared to fight faceless conglomerate of lesser-than people who won’t give her what she wants and feels she deserves. She’ll wield the power that, yes, might be very different from that of a white man, as she makes her demands. And that feeling of entitlement is what makes her, undeniably, a Karen." [14]

The meme carries several stereotypes, the most notable being that a Karen will demand to "speak with the manager" of a hypothetical service provider. [9] [15] Other stereotypes include anti-vaccination beliefs, [7] [9] [16] [3] [17] racism, [18] excessive use of Facebook, and a particular bob haircut with blond highlights. Pictures of Kate Gosselin and Jenny McCarthy's bob cut are often used to depict Karen, [12] and their bobs are sometimes called the "can-I-speak-to-your-manager" haircut. [10] [9] [19] [15]

In December 2020, The Guardian expanded on the links between the term and racism with an article titled, The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism, and saying "The image of a white woman calling police on Black people put the lie to the myth of racial innocence". [5]

A university in Michigan included 'Karen' on a list of words people should stop using, as it is used as a "misogynist umbrella term for critiquing the perceived overemotional behavior of women". [20] [21]

Male context

The term is generally used to refer to white women, but The Atlantic noted that "a man can easily be called a Karen", with staff writer David A. Graham calling President Donald Trump the "Karen in chief". [4] [22] Similarly, in November 2020, a tweet calling Elon Musk "Space Karen" over comments he made regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 testing became viral. [23] [24] Numerous names for a male equivalent of Karen have been floated, with little agreement on a single name. [25] [26]

Criticism

The term has been called a slur. [16] Karen Attiah argues that it lacks the historical context to be a slur, and that calling it one trivializes actual discrimination. [27] Others argue that the targets of the term have immense privilege, and that "an epithet that lacks the power to discriminate is just an insult." [16]

The term has also been called sexist and anti-woman, with Hadley Freeman arguing that use of the meme has become less about describing behavior than controlling it and "telling women to shut up". [28] Jennifer Weiner, writing in the New York Times during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the meme had succeeded in silencing her, saying she had had to balance her desire to complain about a nearby man coughing into the open air, hawking and spitting on the sidewalk, with her fear of being called a Karen. [29] In August 2020, Helen Lewis wrote in The Atlantic, "Karen has become synonymous with woman among those who consider woman an insult. There is now a market, measured in attention and approbation, for anyone who can sniff out a Karen." [3] Lewis also noted what he called the "finger trap" of the term, saying "What is more Karen than complaining about being called "Karen"? There is a strong incentive to be cool about other women being Karened, lest you be Karened yourself." [3]

British journalist and feminist Julie Bindel asked, "Does anyone else think the 'Karen' slur is woman-hating and based on class prejudice?" [30] [17] Freeman replied, saying it was "sexist, ageist, and classist, in that order". Kaitlyn Tiffany, writing in The Atlantic , asked, "Is a Karen just a woman who does anything at all that annoys people? If so, what is the male equivalent?", saying the meme was being called misogynistic. [7] Nina Burleigh wrote that the memes "are merely excuses to heap scorn on random middle-aged white women". [31] Matt Schimkowitz, a senior editor at Know Your Meme, stated to Business Insider in 2019 that the term "just kind of took over all forms of criticism towards white women online", and that it had risen to popularity due to that demographic being seen as entitled. [10]

Notable examples

The mid-2019 formation of Tropical Storm Karen in the Atlantic hurricane basin led to memes likening the storm to the stereotype; several users made jokes about the storm wanting to "speak with the manager", with images photoshopped to include the "Karen haircut" on either the hurricane or its forecast path. [32]

In December 2019, Australian media reported that in the town of Mildura, a woman named Karen had been filmed trying to pull down an Aboriginal Flag being displayed by her neighbors. She was unable to pull it down, leading to a Twitter hashtag #TooStrongForYouKaren and other social media responses. [33] [34]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term was used to describe women abusing Asian-American health workers due to the virus's origins in China, [35] those hoarding essential supplies such as toilet paper, and both those who policed others' behavior to enforce quarantine [29] and those who protested the continuance of the restrictions because they prevented them visiting hair salons, [7] as well as over being forced to wear face masks inside of stores, prompting one critic to ask whether the term had devolved into a all-purpose term of disapproval or criticism for middle-aged white women. [7] Use of the term increased from 100,000 mentions on social media in January 2020 to 2.7 million in May 2020. [31]

In May 2020, Christian Cooper, writing about the Central Park birdwatching incident, said Amy Cooper's "inner Karen fully emerged and took a dark turn" when he started recording the encounter. [36] He recorded her calling the police and telling them that an "African-American man" was threatening her and her dog. [37] [36] In July 2020 a video of "Permit Karen", a New Jersey woman calling the police to report her Black neighbors were putting in a stone patio without a permit, went viral. [38] A San Diego woman who posted a photo of the barista who refused her service because she wasn't wearing a mask was labelled a Karen; she later announced she was planning to sue the barista for half of donations raised on his behalf after her post went viral. [39]

In July 2020, "Whitefish Karen" was arrested after a video of her, unmasked, showed her coughing intentionally in people's faces after being asked to put on a mask. [40] [41] [42] "Kroger Karen" stood in front of a Black woman's car to block her from leaving a Detroit grocery store parking lot while she called police to report that the woman's child had stood on a shelf to take down an item too high for the child to reach. [40] [43] "San Francisco Karen" called the police to report a Filipino man stenciling "Black Lives Matter" on a retaining wall on his property. [40] [44] "Bunnings Karen" threatened to sue the Melbourne, Australia, hardware store Bunnings for requiring her to wear a mask. [45]

In July 2020 an internet meme in the form of a parody advertisement for a fictional Girl of the Year character depicted as a personification of the "Karen" stereotype, wearing a track suit, bob haircut and openly carrying a semi-automatic pistol while defiantly violating face mask guidelines mandated due to the 2019-2020 COVID-19 pandemic, provoked criticism from American Girl who took umbrage to the use of their name and trade dress, stating that they were "disgusted" by a post from brand strategist Adam Padilla under the online persona "Adam the Creator", and "are working with the appropriate teams at American Girl to ensure this copyright violation is handled appropriately." [46] Boing Boing however expressed doubts over the merits of American Girl's proposed legal action against the "Karen" parodies citing the Streisand effect, though it has also noted the debate on whether the satirical intent of the parody advertisement is protected by law. [47]

In July 2020, Domino's Pizza ran an ad in Australia and New Zealand offering free pizzas to "nice Karens"; [17] the company later apologized. [17] [45]

The BBC called the Wall of Moms "a good example of mainly middle-class, middle-aged white women explicitly not being Karens. Instead, the Wall of Moms is seen by activists as using their privilege to protest against the very same systemic racism and classism that Karens actively seek to exploit." [17]

Legislation

In July 2020, San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act. It would change the San Francisco Police Code to prohibit the fabrication of racially biased emergency reports. [48] The Act passed unanimously in October of that year. [49]

See also

Related Research Articles

In the English language, the word nigger is an ethnic slur typically directed at black people, especially African Americans.

Chink English-language ethnic slur

Chink is an English-language ethnic slur usually referring to a person of Chinese descent. However, the word is also indiscriminately used against people who look and have an East or Southeast Asian appearance. The use of the term is considered highly offensive and racist, and its inclusion in modern works of literature or media has sparked controversies.

Slut is generally a term for a woman or girl who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. It is usually used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of disparagement (slut-shaming). It originally meant "a dirty, slovenly woman", and is rarely used to refer to men, generally requiring clarification by use of the terms male slut or man whore.

The English word squaw is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered offensive, derogatory, misogynist and racist.

<i>Retaliation</i> (Dane Cook album) 2005 live album by Dane Cook

Retaliation is the second album by American comedian Dane Cook. It was released on July 26, 2005 by Comedy Central Records.

Kate Gosselin American television personality

Katie Irene "Kate" Gosselin is an American television personality. She achieved national and international recognition on the US reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8, in which she and Jon Gosselin were profiled as they raised their atypical family of sextuplets and twins.

A racial hoax is a hoax that occurs "when someone fabricates a crime and blames it on another person because of [his or her] race or when an actual crime has been committed and the perpetrator falsely blames someone because of [his or her] race".

Black Twitter is a community largely consisting of black users on the social network Twitter focused on issues of interest to the black community, particularly in the United States. Feminista Jones described it in Salon as "a collective of active, primarily African-American Twitter users who have created a virtual community ... [and are] proving adept at bringing about a wide range of sociopolitical changes." A similar Black Twitter community grew in South Africa in the early 2010s. Although Black Twitter has a strong Black American user base, other people and groups are able to be a part of this social media circle through commonalities in shared experiences and reactions to such online. Calling out cultural appropriation was a chief focus of the space in the early 2010s.

<i>The dress</i> Optical illusion regarding the colour of a dress

The dress is a photograph that became a viral internet sensation on 26 February 2015, when viewers disagreed over whether the dress pictured was coloured black and royal blue, or white and gold. The phenomenon revealed differences in human colour perception, which have been the subject of ongoing scientific investigations into neuroscience and vision science, with a number of papers published in peer-reviewed science journals.

Alicia Garza Co-founder of the Black Lives Matter International movement

Alicia Garza is an American civil rights activist and writer known for co-founding the international Black Lives Matter movement. She has organized around the issues of health, student services and rights, rights for domestic workers, ending police brutality, anti-racism, and violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. Her editorial writing has been published by The Guardian, The Nation, Rolling Stone, and Truthout. She currently directs Special Projects at the National Domestic Workers Alliance and is the Principal at the Black Futures Lab.

Racial views of Donald Trump Review of the racial opinions of Donald Trump

Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, has a history of speech and actions that have been widely viewed as racist or racially charged. Journalists, friends, and former employees have accused him of fueling racism in the United States and some scholars have placed Trump's rhetoric and performance in the context of white supremacy. Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism, and some people who have known him have gone on record to state that he is not racist.

Nasty woman Phrase used by Donald Trump to describe Hillary Clinton

"Nasty woman" was a phrase used by 2016 American presidential candidate Donald Trump to refer to opponent Hillary Clinton during the third presidential debate. The phrase made worldwide news, became a viral call for some women voters, and has also launched a feminist movement by the same name. Trump had previously referred to his then rival Ted Cruz as a “nasty guy.”

Milkshake Duck is an Internet meme that describes people that are initially perceived as good but later revealed to be flawed. Oxford Dictionaries defined the term as "a person or character on social media that appears to be endearing at first, but is found to have an unappealing back story", but did not consider usage of the neologism to be sufficiently long-lived or widespread to warrant inclusion in their dictionaries. The term has been connected to "cancel culture", a perceived trend of call-out culture on social media resulting in celebrities being ostracized and careers abruptly derailed by publicized misconduct.

Ijeoma Oluo American writer

Ijeoma Oluo is a Nigerian-American writer. She is the author of So You Want to Talk About Race and has written for The Guardian,Jezebel, The Stranger, Medium, and The Establishment, where she was also an editor-at-large.

Becky is a pejorative American slang term for a white woman. The term has come to be associated with a "white girl who loves Starbucks and Uggs and is clueless about racial and social issues," according to the New Statesman. For this reason, "Becky" is often associated with the slang term basic which has many similar connotations. In 2019 the dictionary publisher Merriam Webster wrote that Becky was "increasingly functioning as an epithet, and being used especially to refer to a white woman who is ignorant of both her privilege and her prejudice." The term Karen has a similar connotation but is associated with older women.

Stan Twitter is a community of Twitter users that post opinions related to music, celebrities, TV shows, movies and social media. The community has been noted for its particular shared terminology.

Úna-Minh Caomhánach Irish travel writer, journalist, and social media manager.

Úna-Minh Caomhánach, is an Irish travel writer, journalist, and social media manager.

Central Park birdwatching incident Racially charged confrontation in New York Citys Central Park

The Central Park birdwatching incident was a confrontation on May 25, 2020, between Amy Cooper, a white woman walking her dog, and Christian Cooper, a black birdwatcher, in a section of New York City's Central Park known as the Ramble. Amy Cooper's dog was unleashed in the Ramble, an area where leashing is required; she allegedly refused Christian Cooper's request that her dog be leashed. When Christian beckoned the dog toward him with a dog treat, Amy yelled "Don't you touch my dog!" Christian started recording Amy, who placed a call to 9-1-1; by the time New York City Police Department officers responded, both parties had left.

In internet slang, a simp is a person who is excessively deferential, engages in flattery, or "does way too much for a person they like", sometimes with the ulterior motive of courtship towards an intimate relationship or sexual intercourse. This behavior, referred to as simping, has been described as an "openly thirsty version of stanning".

References

  1. 1 2 Nagesh, Ashitha (July 30, 2020). "What exactly is a 'Karen' and where did the meme come from?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ Greenspan, Rachel (October 26, 2020). "How the name 'Karen' became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme". Insider. Insider. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lewis, Helen (August 19, 2020). "The Mythology of Karen". The Atlantic. ISSN   1072-7825 . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Graham, David A. (May 28, 2020). "The Karen in Chief". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Wong, Julia Carrie (December 27, 2020). "The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism". The Guardian . Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Greenspan, Rachel (May 27, 2020). "How the name Karen became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme". Business Insider . Retrieved July 17, 2020. While there are many origin stories for the Karen meme, it's not completely clear where it came from — as is the case with many popular memes. 'The origins of Karen are kind of really hard to pin down,' Schimkowitz said.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tiffany, Kaitlyn (May 6, 2020). "How 'Karen' Became a Coronavirus Villain". The Atlantic . Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ↑ Narizhnaya, Khristina; Lapin, Tamar; Brown, Ruth (October 12, 2018). "'Cornerstore Caroline' says she's not racist, apologizes to kids". New York Post. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Romano, Aja (February 5, 2020). "Karen: The anti-vaxxer soccer mom with speak-to-the-manager hair, explained". Vox. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Greenspan, Rachel (May 27, 2020). "How the name Karen became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme". Business Insider . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ Frank, Allegra (October 25, 2016). "Nintendo Switch's best, most revealing meme is antisocial 'Karen'". Polygon. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Abcarian, Robin (May 23, 2020). "Column: Is the 'Karen' meme sexist? Maybe, but it's also apt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ Tourjee, Dianna (October 9, 2018). "Can I Speak to Your Manager?: The Beauty & Necessity of A Notorious Haircut". Vice News .
  14. ↑ Lewis, Rachel Charlene (April 10, 2020). "'Karen' Isn't a Slur – It's A Critique of Entitled White Womanhood". Bitch Media. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "10+ Memes of Karen, the Infamous 'Speak to the Manager' Haircut". Know Your Meme . Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 "Is calling someone 'Karen' a slur? An investigation". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 27, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "What exactly is a 'Karen' and where did the meme come from?". BBC News. July 30, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  18. ↑ Asmelash, Leah (May 30, 2020). "How Karen became a meme, and what real-life Karens think about it". CNN . Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  19. ↑ Dozier, Rob (August 21, 2018). "Why Memes Making Fun of White People Demanding to 'Speak to the Manager!' Are So Popular Right Now". Slate. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Banished Words List". Lake Superior State University. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  21. ↑ Press, Associated (December 31, 2020). "'Unprecedented': Michigan university releases annual list of banned words, phrases for 2021". WDIV. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ Queen, Robin (June 16, 2020). "How 'Karen' went from a popular baby name to a stand-in for white entitlement". NZ Herald. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  23. ↑ Rahman, Khaleda (November 16, 2020). "Scientist's "Space Karen" response to Elon Musk goes viral". Newsweek . Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  24. ↑ Geske, Dawn (November 16, 2020). "Why Elon Musk Is Being Called 'Space Karen' After Latest Launch". International Business Times . IBT Media . Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  25. ↑ "The Internet Attempts to Name the Male 'Karen'". MSN/RADIO.Com. June 23, 2020.
  26. ↑ Matt Berical (December 11, 2020). "What Is the Male Version of a Karen?". Fatherly.
  27. ↑ "After racial violence in the U.S., writer Karen Attiah re-examines the 'Karen' meme". CBC. May 27, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  28. ↑ Freeman, Hadley (April 13, 2020). "The 'Karen' meme is everywhere – and it has become mired in sexism". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  29. 1 2 Weiner, Jennifer (April 14, 2020). "Opinion: The Seductive Appeal of Pandemic Shaming". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  30. ↑ Parsons, Vic (April 6, 2020). "In these trying times, lesbian radical feminist Julie Bindel is debating whether 'Karen' is a slur. Yes, really". PinkNews . Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  31. 1 2 Burleigh, Nina (May 28, 2020). "How the Karen Meme Benefits the Right". Medium. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  32. ↑ Mansoor, Sanya (September 22, 2019). "Tropical Storm Karen Has the Internet Saying the Storm 'Wants to Speak to a Manager'". Time. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Mildura woman attempts to tear down Aboriginal flag in viral video". SBS World News . Sydney. December 15, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  34. ↑ Testa, Christopher (December 22, 2019). "#toostrongforyoukaren viral video prompts anti-racism rally in Mildura". Mildura, Victoria, Australia: ABC Mildura Swan Hill . Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  35. ↑ Elliott, Josh K. (April 20, 2020). "'Go to China!': 'Nurses' hailed for blocking anti-quarantine 'Karen' at coronavirus protest". Global News. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  36. 1 2 Nir, Sarah Maslin (May 26, 2020). "White Woman Is Fired After Calling Police on Black Man in Central Park". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  37. ↑ Perper, Rosie (May 25, 2020). "A woman in a video appears to call the police claiming there's an 'African American man threatening my life' – he apparently had asked her to put her dog on a leash". Insider. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  38. ↑ Martin, Julia. "Video of white woman calling police on Black neighbor causes stir in Montclair". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Woman who refused to wear a mask in Starbucks now wants half of $100,000 donated to barista". CBS News. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  40. 1 2 3 Goldblatt, Henry (July 31, 2020). "A Brief History of 'Karen'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Video shows 'Whitefish Karen' coughing on couple in parking lot". The Daily Dot. July 20, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Whitefish Karen - WOMAN COUGHS ON COUPLE in Parking Lot of Super 1 Grocery Store in Montana". D-railed Radio. July 20, 2020.
  43. ↑ Jordan, Jerilyn. "Metro Detroit's own 'Kroger Karen' prevents Black customer from leaving the parking lot in viral video". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  44. ↑ "SF 'Karen' Filmed Confronting Pacific Heights Man Over Writing 'Black Lives Matter' on His Property". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. June 14, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  45. 1 2 "Domino's Pizza drops 'free pizza for Karen' offer". BBC News. July 31, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  46. ↑ McCarter, Reid. "American Girl calls manager over "Karen" doll parody". News. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  47. ↑ Beschizza, Rob (July 6, 2020). "I found out about this amusing Karen parody of American Girl dolls because they want it taken down". Boing Boing.
  48. ↑ Bauman, Anna (July 7, 2020). "SF supe proposes CAREN Act to prohibit 'false racially biased emergency reports'". San Francisco Chronicle.
  49. ↑ Har, Janie (October 21, 2020). "'CAREN Act': San Francisco officials let people sue over racist 911 calls". Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.