Karens are entitled white women who hold others to inappropriate standards of behavior. Oftentimes, these Karens engage in racism by using the concept of white femininity to cause real harm to those around them.
Bad actors can be both irritating and humorous at times. If you’re a fan of television or movies, chances are you’ve run across one or more bad actors at some point. While they tend to be annoying, sometimes their antics can be hilarious too!
Rude and Entitled Karens
Karens are middle-aged white women who take advantage of their privilege to obtain what they want. They’re often seen at retail stores like Starbucks and Costco sporting a blonde bob haircut and demanding to speak to the store manager about any issues that concern them.
They have become a widely used term to denote rude and entitled individuals, with its origins still unclear. Many point to a humorous misogynistic subreddit formed in 2017 that parodies Karen as one potential source for the meme.
Karens have often been depicted in a negative light on TV shows like Will & Grace and Modern Family. In the former show, Karen lives with Stan Walker (Stanley Walker), an obese man sporting a toupee who’s rich again in the series’ final episode.
Karen is also constantly beset by enemies, including Beverley Leslie (Leslie Jordan), Lorraine Finster (Minnie Driver) and Aunt Vi (Christine Ebersole). The latter is an outspoken racist who constantly attempts to stop Karen from befriending her niece Rosario.
In the series’ finale, Karen is a shell of her former self, organizing a funeral for Rosario while keeping her grief under wraps. However, when her niece asks her to take her place at the service, Karen struggles with her own racial pride and refuses to go due to an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
The internet is filled with pictures of people known as Karens, and while some may be rude and entitled, the majority are harmless and seem to have no real problems. They just tend to get upset over things that don’t matter much.
Though this can be annoying, it’s a small price to pay for the comfort they bring others. And having someone who makes you feel secure in yourself without fearing others will take advantage of you is invaluable.
Anti-Vax Karens
Karens have become a ubiquitous character in both TV and movies. In Blackkklansman, white housewife Connie Kendrickson stars as an entitled, misogynistic Karen who terrorizes her African American neighbors; on Orange is the New Black, Taryn Manning stars as a self-absorbed, hypocritical Karen.
Memes about anti-vax Karens have surfaced in online visual participatory spaces such as Reddit. These misconstrue the “mother warrior” figure of a conservative libertarian conspiracy theory with the ‘white mom’ or ‘Karen’ archetype that became popularized among pro-vaxxer media and online spaces (Motrescu-Mayes & Aasman, 2019).
For instance, there have been several memes created around ‘Sims 4 Karen’ based on screenshots from a video game where she wears her trademark bottle-blonde’mom’ hairstyle. These memes often include images of Karen taking care of her home, featuring decorations like decorative scotch bottles and sparse alcohol bottles for cooking as well as natural remedies in her kitchen.
Other anti-vaxxer memes feature a blonde ‘Karen’ character whose likeness was imprinted onto fictional characters from superhero sagas, such as Thanos in Marvel saga (2008-2019) named ‘Karenos’ who ‘collects infinity oils to save her anti vaxx kid’. These ‘Karens’ were often used as stand-ins for anti-vaccine protestors.
Two years ago, a teenager founded the anti-vaxer subreddit r/fuckyoukaren on Reddit to honor their now deleted user account. Since then, thousands of users have subscribed to make ‘fuck you Karen’ memes.
The “Karen” meme has gained notoriety on Twitter and TikTok, where it has become a trending topic. Many anti-vax memes have been written about the ‘Karen’ in these platforms, often including racist microaggressions as well as anti-vaccination beliefs as connotations.
These memes are usually ironic, yet they also reflect the reality that anti-vaxers are not alone in their opposition to vaccination. This has been demonstrated by ‘anti-vax terrorism’ conspiracy theories alleging networks of communists, pedophiles and Freemasons are using the COVID-19 vaccine to effectively depopulate the world.
These “Karen” memes have an unsettling effect on viewers. They suggest anti-vaxxers are unaware that vaccines they claim to be “anti-vaccines” are actually essential in protecting children from disease, further suggesting they prioritize protecting themselves over their kids’ wellbeing.
Kids with Karen Characteristics
Karens are individuals with an excessive sense of entitlement. As a result, they expect special treatment and often react outrageously when not receiving what is owed them. This archetype appears frequently in television and movie plots, serving as an important symbol for criticizing entitlement, racism and selfishness.
In the 1988 film Child’s Play, Karen Lee Barclay is a single mother who works at Carson Pirie Scott & Co. to support herself and her son Andy. Additionally, she employs a nanny named Maggie Peterson.
After Maggie goes missing, Karen becomes increasingly distressed. She yells at her son Andy and he becomes equally distraught. Eventually he confides in her that he had been talking to his Good Guy doll Chucky who had revealed its full name to her.
Later, while at work, she is confronted by her boss who has a peddler selling Good Guys in the back alley and convinces her to purchase one for Andy. She gives it to him and takes him to his room to show him where it is hidden.
When she’s not at work, she spends time at home with her son trying to convince him not to talk to his doll. This often results in arguments with Andy over it. When she visits the doctor for help with stress management, he gives her antidepressants which help her relax.
However, when she arrives home, her son Andy can be heard conversing with his new Good Guy doll – it turns out its name is Charles Lee Ray!
Andy and Chucky get into an argument when Andy attempts to tell her the Good Guy doll is not Chucky but his mentor John. After a lengthy fight, Chucky is eventually trapped in her apartment where Andy throws a match into it – setting it ablaze.
When the Derrico family relocates to Las Vegas, their 14 children – all single, twins, quintuplets or triplets – spend an extended amount of time there getting acquainted. Not only are their lives transformed but also their relationships as they decide what’s best for their kids and new home.
Halloween Costumes with Karen Characteristics
Halloween is a thrilling holiday for both kids and adults, but the costumes that many people don have their own distinct characteristics. For some, their outfits are inspired by their favorite movies or TV shows while others attempt to mimic the character they are imitating. No matter what it is, Halloween always provides plenty of enjoyment!
One of the most iconic Halloween costume styles is Karen. These women usually sport a blonde bob, sunglasses and ask to speak to managers. Additionally, they usually carry large phones which give them an air of power over situations.
The term “Karen” has long been used to denote white, middle-aged women who feel entitled and demanding of unearned privilege. If something goes awry, these individuals typically demand to see a manager or call the police – an issue which can present itself in real life.
Some Karens are racists, anti-vaxxers and sexual harassers. These behaviors can be hazardous and harm children.
These costume trends can be a lot of fun to create, but it’s essential to remember that not all are created equal. In fact, some of these Karen Halloween costumes have received backlash from people who say they turn serious issues into jokes.
Recently, a woman dressed as Karen made headlines on Twitter. She was sporting an Halloween wig that looked like blonde bob, along with some sunglasses for added effect.
Although the wig may not be particularly offensive, it nevertheless represents a sexist Halloween costume and is being sold at Spirit Halloween stores across America.
Spirit’s website already sold out of this wig, which isn’t the only controversial Halloween costume to hit the market. Another costume featuring a blonde “Karen” with blonde bob, sunglasses and asking to speak to managers has drawn criticism from people who say it turns serious issues into lighthearted fun.
No matter if you choose to wear a Karen costume or not, it is essential to remember that such terms have negative connotations and can have severe racial and social repercussions. Fortunately, there are other ways of participating in Halloween festivities without offending anyone or being offensive.
