Karen is a popular slang term among Gen Z, but what are its most prevalent stereotypes?
Karen is often used to describe a middle-class, white woman who acts with arrogance and entitlement. She may be racist, angry, aggressive, or even bullying in her behavior.
The Obnoxious White Woman
In 2020, there has emerged a wave of stereotypical white women who have made headlines for their arrogant, entitled behavior. These so-called “Karens” have gained notoriety on social media for various reasons.
The Karen meme gained notoriety as a parody of an anti-vaxxer mom with the iconic “speak to the manager” haircut, which has become widely adopted as symbolic representation. Additionally, it’s become a recurring gag about retail or restaurant workers who escalate complaints or demands up the chain of command.
While some of these stories were humorous, they also contained deeply sexist undertones. For instance, a woman who coughed on customers at a bagel shop was ridiculed as the “coughing Karen,” while another was labeled the “Central Park Karen” after calling police on Black people while birdwatching in New York City’s Central Park.
These stories were part of 2020’s turbulent social politics, which saw protesters take to the streets in cities across America to draw attention to racism and injustice. Unfortunately, these incidents also brought about an increase in incidents involving privileged white women terrorizing Black people by threatening police or harassing managers and supervisors out of entitlement.
Most of these cases went unchecked, but a few that were recorded went viral. One woman even jumped onto her husband’s cell phone and threatened to call the cops on him for writing “Black Lives Matter” with chalk on his front lawn!
Not long after, the internet branded a woman who leans her car to block someone from getting their desired parking spot as “Parking Lot Karen.” These cases have caused widespread outrage and an online backlash.
In 2020, this has not only become a hotly debated issue but has also had an effect on real life Karens who have seen their name used as an insulting term. According to Sun, who lives in Philadelphia and works at a hospital, those named Karen have experienced feelings of isolation as a result.
The Racist
Over the past few years, Karen has become a widely used term to describe middle-aged white women who act entitled in public spaces. These actions often include calling the police on Black people – an action many find irritating and annoying but which also stems from racism/white supremacy.
According to a senior editor at Know Your Meme, the Karen slang term has evolved into an insult for middle-aged white women who demand something beyond what is expected of them – typically, a specific haircut or apology. It often refers to the “Can I speak to the manager?” hairstyle and can be seen in numerous viral videos featuring white women who are perceived as abrasive.
Karen slang’s widespread acceptance was illustrated in 2020 when an entitled white woman named Amy Cooper went viral for her racist panic when she encountered a Black man birdwatching in Central Park. Although this 69-second video poked fun at white entitlement and privilege that the Karen meme lamented, it also served as the most public demonstration of social policing at its most dangerous.
Fear can drive a woman to make up an outright lie about her situation and put the life of another at risk. In Cooper’s case, fear over her racial identity led her to call the cops on Chris Cooper despite him making no threats.
Contrast this with more common sub-Karens, such as “Pool Patrol Paula” and “Dog Park Debbie,” who have often called upon police protection against Black neighbors for trouble. These assertive white women have often targeted those living their lives peacefully in order to maintain order around them.
But why is the ‘Karen’ stereotype so pervasive? It comes from a neologism called Becky, which refers to an ignorant white woman unaware of her privilege.
The Becky trope is an effective tool for placing blame for racism on white women who haven’t learned to accept their racial identity. It also serves as a means of degrading ‘pale and stale’ white men who haven’t earned the right to be labeled Gammons.
The Entitled
There’s an increasingly prevalent social media expectation that if a woman behaves badly in public, she must be labeled a “Karen,” an over-entitled white woman. This term has become popular as Halloween costumes and inspired several viral videos.
Have you seen the viral video of Karen harassing police officers by unjustly calling the authorities on Black people? But there have also been other Karens called out for their rude behavior in other contexts, like having a fit over a mask while at Starbucks or Target.
Karens often get more clicks than their Ken counterparts due to the widespread culture of female hysteria that still pervades social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. But there’s another reason why angry Karens get more views: There’s something about the toxic myth of female hysteria that still resonates within society today.
Karen is not the first time a name has come to symbolize an anti-sexist stereotype; names like Becky, Chad, Susan have long been used for years to signify a certain type of white person. But thanks to Black Twitter’s cultural impact, Karen has become iconic among women who are often perceived as overly assertive in public.
The exact origins of the Karen name remain elusive, though many sources indicate it originated on Black Twitter. According to Wikipedia, she is described as a “racist white woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others”, while Urban Dictionary describes it as a “mutated subspecies that descends from the Soccer Mom”.
While it can be challenging to determine whether these stereotypes are rooted in race, class or gender, it’s worth considering their effect on a variety of people. Aside from making many women very upset, these attitudes also contribute to an ongoing issue with sexism and misogyny within our culture.
Though The Karen may serve as a convenient metaphor to explain racism and white entitlement that so many Americans are facing, it is a sexist stereotype that causes serious issues for women across America. That means we need to address this problem head-on in all forms as soon as possible.
The Bully
Bullying refers to any individual or entity who harasses, abuses, intimidates or coerces another individual in an intentional and repeated manner. This type of aggressive behavior may constitute a violation of the law in certain instances.
Bullying is typically described as the use of physical, verbal or social violence against a peer to exert control over them. It is an infringing act that should be reported to law enforcement immediately.
Popular bullies typically possess large egos and believe they deserve to be in the spotlight. They may resort to physical aggression such as pushing or shoving, or they might use relational aggression like spreading rumors or excluding others.
Bullies often act out of anger or frustration to gain power and control in their lives. They might have experienced physical or sexual abuse and use bullying as a way to cope with those emotions.
Indifferent bullies often fail to be deterred by disciplinary action and may even resort to bullying those who do not participate in their activity. They take pleasure in seeing others suffer and are motivated only by the adrenaline rush of physical attack.
Though most victims of bullying will not have the power to change the behaviors of their bully, they can make it a point to let their peers know that what is happening is wrong and should be stopped. This could include informing teachers, playground safety officers, principals or parents.
Many schools have policies against bullying and will report any instances to the school district. They may also take disciplinary action against the bully.
Some schools will suspend or expel bullies for a certain amount of time or take other disciplinary measures, such as banning them from school altogether. Unfortunately, this is not always successful and some bullies find ways around these policies.
One of the most challenging situations to deal with is a bully who has a mental health condition. Some may also be addicted to drugs or alcohol and pose risks to themselves and other students. Receiving help for such individuals can be an overwhelming task that may take years to resolve.
