The viral Karen video offers viewers a hope-fulfilment fantasy in which racists are punished. She’s the white woman who called police on Black people, prompting Reddit threads such as #fuckyouKaren.”
Just hearing these statistics might make you reconsider giving your baby the name Karen – once a popular choice at two percent of newborn girls. But don’t despair; there are still Karens out there unaffected by stereotypes.
The Origins
Karen rose in popularity during the baby boom but has fallen steadily ever since, falling to 828th most popular girl’s name by 2020. One factor may have been its usage as a derogatory term against women engaging in risky behavior during covid pandemic episodes in 2020; people started labeling others Karens when they observed any poor behaviors on viral videos that depict white women engaging in racist behaviors, leading to its spread as a derogatory term against such women.
“Karen” has become an informal term to refer to women who behave in an entitled and racist or bigoted manner, particularly those from white backgrounds who act this way during coronavirus pandemic outbreaks.
Know Your Meme, a website dedicated to studying memes, notes that “Karen” first originated with Dane Cook from 2005. Additionally, Black Twitter has adopted it as a way of ridiculing middle-aged white women who exhibit characteristics of Karens; also, women who refuse public health advice like vaccination; as well as Central Park Karens and Costco Karens who get upset easily over trivial matters have been used as examples of Karens.
While “Karens” tend to be described as middle-aged white women, this stereotype can apply to any race and/or person who acts in ways which are racist or bigoted despite age or race differences.
Karens can be identified when they display characteristics indicative of being arrogant, snobby women who often complain and exhibit a strong sense of entitlement. The term has come to be used instead of more insulting terms such as Becky or Sarah when describing someone acting like an annoying and disruptive jerk.
But is the term fair? Or does it have more to do with larger cultural problems of bias and racism? Women labeled Karens — whether white, black, or other races — may feel belittled when their names are being used negatively; therefore it’s essential that it remains understood that its purpose isn’t intended as an insult but as a way of calling attention to problematic behavior.
The Memes
Karen has become a staple in Internet meme culture. There is a Karen who “speaks to the manager,” one who called police on a black birder in Central Park, another who calls 911 about one, as well as the ubiquitous and often-sarcastic Karen you might encounter on Twitter. Additionally, there’s even an entire company based out of Pittsburgh named Karen that employs hundreds of Karens who help consumers resolve disputes against bad companies.
Dane Cook’s 2005 comedy sketch featuring the Karen stereotype quickly spread online through Reddit and other social media channels, becoming a shorthand for problematic white women. However, it wasn’t until May 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, when America finally acknowledged race relations as an issue that this meme became mainstream.
Since then, various Karens have emerged into the public consciousness as negative stereotypes: she’s the liberal white girlfriend who feels perfectly comfortable criticizing a police officer for asking her boyfriend to present his I.D.; the one who reported an off-leash black birder as menacing when they refused to leash their dog; or, more commonly known online, as someone trying to trolling other users online (usually without success).
The meme has caused some women to change their names; Karen became so rare in 2021, that only four babies were named Karen according to BabyCentre; current Karens hate seeing their names being used as stereotypes, with many protesting online about this trend.
But not all Karens have been negatively depicted; some have even taken pride in embracing the name in spite of its current association with toxic stereotypes. New York-based author and activist Abbott Kahler was among these, writing for The Root and explaining her choice to keep it even though others voiced complaints and her parents advised against doing so. Abbott stresses the importance of being yourself while not falling into harmful stereotypes, without necessarily having to become “Karen.”
The Popularity
Karen is an old-fashioned name that was among the 20 most popular baby names for girls through most of the 1960s. While it dropped out of favor during the 80s, its popularity has recently seen a resurgence due to an internet meme featuring Karen who defies rules and acts selfishly or racist. If you spend any time online, chances are good you have encountered one or more Karens!
“Karen” has become an internet meme and refers to a stereotypical middle-aged, white female who demands to speak with management or calls police over seemingly minor matters. She typically sports an unruly blonde bob and often becomes targets for discrimination due to racial intolerance.
Due to its association with Karen from “Whisky, Privileged Karen,” many people are quickly rejecting it as a name for their little girls. Less and less kindergarten children bear this moniker now and many parents opt for more modern choices such as Linda or Susan instead; possibly because its negative connotations has contributed to fewer babies bearing it every year.
Bionic conducted an exhaustive analysis of over one million reviews on Trustpilot, the world’s premier review platform. Their investigation focused on who were most frequently mentioned as subjects for negative comments; most often seen were Louise Ann and Jane – not Karens – with 4.8% being caused by each.
The company hopes that this research will assist businesses in improving customer service and handling complaints more effectively. They’ve even created a website called “Karens for Hire,” where consumers can hire an independent Karen to solve problems they are encountering with businesses – the fee ranges between $10-100 depending on which solution is chosen.
The Response
Women named Karen now understand the perils of becoming targets for sexist and racist jokes, having likely experienced this themselves. “Karen” has come to represent an entitled, interfering white woman who thinks herself superior and cannot ever be wrong; due to this trend, books, workshops, consulting services have emerged designed to help white women recognize their complicity with structures of power in order to change themselves for the better.
However, this character trait isn’t restricted to one demographic or region of the country; rather it pervades every group and segment of our society and can become increasingly problematic as diversity increases across our nation. Many consider it evidence of white privilege which becomes an ever greater problem as our population becomes more diverse.
Karen has become synonymous with an unpleasant hall monitor who demands immediate communication with their manager over any minor inconvenience, and routinely contacts law enforcement about black people doing something as harmless as walking their dog in Central Park. Although once seen as humorous or even funny, such stereotypes have since become widely taken seriously by many and recognized for how offensive they can be.
Some are now making it illegal for anyone named Karen to act like one in certain instances, following a petition submitted by a San Francisco council member (it currently has almost 200,000 signatures). But is it fair to paint all Karens with one brush?
CNN spoke to real Karens to get their perspective. Some, like 23-year-old Karen Shim of Philadelphia, has felt hurt by jokes involving their name; although these jokes weren’t meant as insults or slights against themselves. Others may view these statements differently and acknowledge they don’t pertain directly to them, yet make them think twice before acting or speaking in certain situations.
