Karens started as a joke, intended to mock an anti-vaccination mom with “can I speak to the manager?” hair.
With its growing success, however, the meme has evolved into something more pointed and sobering – a metaphor for 2020’s challenging social politics.
1. Amy Cooper
Amy Cooper was captured on video shouting at a Black man in New York’s Central Park and calling police to arrest him, prompting the term “Karen” to gain national notoriety. It served as an eye-opening moment that highlighted America’s racial bias as well as the danger of unprovoked police encounters.
But this wasn’t the first time a Karen video had gone viral. Other videos have surfaced of white women being asked to wear masks in public or confronted by managers in retail stores, leading some to perceive these incidents as manifestations of an increasingly prevalent stereotype: that entitled Karens harass service industry workers.
Though these “Karen” videos have been around for years, their spread has only recently become a global phenomenon. The spread of COVID-19, an emerging coronavirus, has brought them back into our society’s spotlight and ignited much racial tension.
The Karen trend has also been connected to other issues, like the stress and fear that this virus can cause for patients. Notable figures who have been caught up in this epidemic include Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney.
In 2020, the incident with Cooper and Christian Cooper returned to public attention when her video was widely shared on social media. She ultimately lost a lawsuit against her former employer Franklin Templeton for her behavior; however, there is speculation that this behavior prompted their firing from their team.
Some characterized the incident as a racist display of power, yet it could simply have been an understandable response to someone’s request for assistance. Unfortunately, this incident likely serves as evidence for more systemic racism and sexism at work.
2. The Plano Woman
The Plano Woman was arrested for threatening and assaulting several women outside a restaurant, leading to her case being widely viewed as a hate crime. Her video footage, which has amassed thousands of views, shows Upton shouting expletives, verbally abusing one victim, and punching another as she hurled racist slurs.
Karen is a derogatory term often used to denote middle-aged white women who are perceived as entitled or demanding beyond what the norm requires. It has been employed in humorous depictions of various white women, such as those who demand to speak to the manager, wear bob cut hairstyles, or are racist.
The Karen meme has its roots in several sources, from a 2005 Dane Cook joke to the Joking Misogynistic Subreddit formed in 2017 that pokes fun at someone’s fictional ex-wife named Karen. Others point to various cartoons and memes from 2016, such as the “antisocial Karen” Nintendo meme or the “Karen” skit on SNL.
However, the most widely accepted theory regarding where the Karen meme originated is that it originated from CrinkleLuvinASMR’s popular “suburban moms” ASMR series featuring a character named Karen.
With the politicization of the Karen meme, this satirical series has undergone a radical transformation. No longer an anti-vaxxer mom with “can I speak to the manager” hair, Karen is now an animal loving lesbian.
Karens have traditionally been female names, but this year has seen an uptick in male Karens – giving rise to Ken, Karen the male version. It seems like Karen is becoming more representative of today’s social politics and giving rise to Ken, Karen the male version.
3. The Minnesota Man
On May 25, 2016, one day after Amy Cooper called the police on Christian Cooper in Central Park over a minor disagreement, an equally tragic scenario played out in Minneapolis when 46-year-old George Floyd was tragically shot and killed by police. These events served as digital diptychs over this summer’s coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest, serving as reminders of racial profiling that affects Black people across America.
On that same day, a group of Black Lives Matter protesters marched through an upper middle class neighborhood in St. Louis. A white couple pulled a handgun on them and another couple pointed guns at peaceful demonstrators passing their home.
Karen thus became a symbol of the deep-seated racial violence that has marked this country throughout its long history of slavery and segregation. It also became a representation of 2020’s increasingly racially charged political climate – like a cultural grenade that went off as America moved forward into its future.
Although the exact origins of the “Karen” meme remain uncertain, it has been linked to a humorously misogynistic subreddit formed in 2017 that parodies a fictional ex-wife named Karen. Other sources have included a 2005 Dane Cook joke, 2016 Nintendo “antisocial Karen” meme, and 2018 SNL skit as potential inspirations.
No matter its origin, viral culture has gained recognition as a way of recognizing those who actively seek to use their privilege against other groups. For example, calling the police on someone for something minor is seen as using white privilege to stifle an otherwise productive and peaceful conversation.
4. The Minnesota Woman
The Minnesota Woman is renowned for her support of women’s rights and pro-woman causes, but that’s not the only reason she’s making headlines. Other prominent Minnesota women such as Dee Long (formerly Speaker of the House) and Sharon Sayles Belton – Minneapolis’s first African American mayor – have made major contributions to both their state and society at large.
Williams was asked about the effects of Karen protests in Minnesota and she pointed to one recent instance where a Karen went further than simply calling the police on someone Black: She intentionally weaponized race to punish a Black man for crossing her in an everyday social conflict.
Amy Cooper seemed to deliberately inflame the fear in her voice as she called the police on Chris Cooper for making a simple request, even though there were no apparent threats present. It was an extraordinary and unsettling instance of white privilege at its most evident.
Since then, the Karen has transformed from a disparaging caricature of entitled white women into an iconic symbol for American diversity. It serves as a rallying cry for many Americans who feel their portrayals in the media don’t accurately reflect their true numbers.
The “Karen” figure has evolved from being satirical to being racially charged, and it appears unlikely that its original meaning will return any time soon. More significantly, however, the term has also altered how Americans view white privilege in general.
5. The Texas Woman
In February, the Karen meme began as a lighthearted parody of an entitled white woman acting out when faced with store rules that didn’t suit her. But as Covid-19 pandemic spread throughout America, it quickly evolved into an instrument for social police work and racial tensions.
The term “Karen” has come to be associated with people who have lost their temper in public spaces, often by verbally abusing service staff at clothing stores and grocery stores. Unfortunately, it’s most often applied to female individuals.
According to Terence Fitzgerald, a California attorney who has observed his own two children witness these instances on Facebook US:FB, Twitter and Instagram, videos of Karens and Kens in public places often reflect racism, disenfranchisement and rage at its core. These incidents often stem from racial profiling or other forms of social policing practices, according to those who observe them online.
According to Aram Sinnreich, an associate professor at American University in Washington, D.C., white privilege is often at play when individuals use it to maintain control in an environment where it’s often out of their hands. He believes this trend will continue throughout history as people from various ethnicities utilize their privilege for personal gain rather than constructive change.
He expressed concern about how this type of privileged behavior can lead to the “othering” of people of color, such as when a white woman calls 911 over an unarmed Black man protesting in Central Park. In extreme cases, such behavior could even escalate to physical assault.
Many commentators see Karen as a necessary and necessary critique of white privilege, yet others worry that its sexless focus is itself sexist. In The Guardian’s recent column, journalist Hadley Freeman described Karen as “a sexist slur on par with the n-word.”
