Over the last couple of years, the internet has become obsessed with GIFs and memes featuring Karen public freakouts. This phenomenon has gained notoriety for various reasons — even inspiring new hate crime legislation in California!
According to a senior editor at Know Your Meme, the character “Karen” was originally used as a derogatory term for middle-aged white women who are perceived as acting entitled in public.
The Woman Yelling At A Cat Meme
The Woman Yelling At A Cat Meme is one of the most iconic memes of 2019 and it’s become a worldwide sensation. Screengrabs of a woman screaming at a cat and another image showing a confused cat eating vegetables have been used for everything from reaction videos to headlines.
The origins of the Woman Yelling At A Cat Meme are somewhat mysterious. On May 1, Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL posted a composite image featuring Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong screaming while pointing (held back by Kyle Richards), along with Smudge, a white cat from Canada.
Twitter user wrote, “These photos together are making me lose it.” The meme quickly went viral, inspiring epic Halloween costumes, Etsy-like home goods and even a protest sign in Guatemala – all over the internet!
This meme is most renowned for its inventive reimagining of an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but the concept has been around for years and inspired plenty other viral moments. According to Know Your Meme, the term “Karen” was first used as a derogatory term to refer to middle-aged women perceived as acting entitled in public.
Karen has gained new significance in recent years, particularly following the tragic death of a black man at the hands of police in Minnesota. It has become an online slang for women who engage in racial or other harassment, often calling the cops on their black neighbors.
The Dog Park Karen Meme
The Dog Park Karen Meme is an internet phenomenon that began when video of a woman making an offensive rant in a Brooklyn dog park went viral. The woman, identified as Emma Sarley, threatened to call the police on black couples who had been barking their dogs at them. The video now boasts over 700k views on Twitter and the New York Police Department is investigating what transpired.
In recent years, the Karen meme has gained momentum as a way for people of color to mock class- and racial-based hostility they often face. It was popularized by standup comic Dane Cook in 2005’s The Friend That Nobody Likes.
But a number of white women have been labeled “Karen” for asserting their own will, such as Central Park dog walker Amy Cooper who called the police on a black birdwatcher last year. As such, this archetype has become an important topic in 2020’s online conversation about racism.
Karens are typically depicted as middle-aged women with A-line haircuts. She can be incredibly angry, driven by entitlement and misguided victimhood, and poses a threat to service workers whom she deems incompetent or unappreciative.
It’s unclear when the ‘Karen’ meme first began, but it has certainly gained widespread acceptance over time. It now features prominently on many social media accounts and often pertains to low-stakes scenarios – like when a woman criticizes an Applebee’s waiter or summons the manager over an insignificant matter.
But now the ‘Karen’ has taken on a more serious tone following the passing of George Floyd in Minneapolis this week. The killing of an unarmed black man by police officers has sparked protests across America, once again placing protest against police brutality at its forefront.
The Dog Park Coughing Meme
Memes can be seen as a form of cultural DNA. They’re shared online and often go viral, spreading ideas, beliefs and behaviors. The internet is full of memes – often with great viral potential!
Karen has become a common label for white women who are perceived as entitled in public. They may be seen calling the police on black neighbors or complaining about their dog humming in the park.
Some contend this naming convention is inherently sexist, while others argue it simply reflects a world in which women are judged more harshly than men. Either way, it’s an argument which may or may not hold water – one thing for certain: winning this argument won’t be easy!
Karen character was created from a joke about a woman wanting to speak to her manager and sporting a “mom bob” haircut, according to Know Your Meme. The website noted that this haircut first posted on Reddit in 2014.
Since then, middle-aged white women have used it as a pejorative to demonstrate their entitlement. According to Matt Schimkowitz – senior editor at Know Your Meme – “this phrase is usually used when someone is being rude or inappropriate.”
Racial profiling has also been observed, such as when a white woman was arrested for calling the cops on her Black neighbor. In one such instance, she was charged with making non-emergency calls that were discriminatory and could face up to one year in prison.
There can be no doubt that Karen has been associated with sexism. Middle-aged women may feel they must hide themselves, and while sexism in general is an issue for everyone, its portrayal in media makes this case especially problematic.
The Mask-Less Karen Meme
The Karen meme has become a controversial topic on the internet in recent years. It depicts white women perceived as acting entitled in public. This meme gained momentum through use of gifs and memes, though some criticize it for being misogynistic in nature.
The original Karen meme featured an asymmetrical haircut and a look of arrogance. It has also been referred to as “white cop-caller” or “barbecue Becky.”
Despite these worries, the Karen meme remains a cultural phenomenon that has only grown stronger with time. It serves as an eye-opening reminder that people are often not what they seem.
Another reason to take note of this trend is that it is not the first time Americans have used popular names to symbolize certain behaviors or groups of people. A popular example from the 1800s was ‘Dick’, which came to signify ‘duck’, ‘penis’ or ‘jerk’.
One of the latest Karen memes is a parody of Dolly Parton’s song “Jolene”, entitled “Karen, Please Just Wear A Mask”. With over 1.4 million views on YouTube and many people fuming over it, this parody has caused much offended sentiment.
In addition to the humorous video, there are several other versions of the Karen meme on social media that are causing controversy. These include a woman coughing on customers at a bagel shop and another who leaned on a car in a parking lot in order to prevent its driver from getting their desired spot.
While it is easy to be carried away in the frenzy of this movement, we should remain cognizant of its real significance. It reflects a world where women are often treated as inferior and sexist, with Karens often caught in the crossfire of sexism.
The Dog Park Stenciling Meme
There is an ever-expanding list of internet nicknames that poke fun at real-life stereotypes. But one that stands the test of time is “Karen,” which has come to be used as a term to refer to white women who act in an entitled or inappropriate way in public.
One of the most infamous Karens is Amy Cooper, a white woman who unjustly called police on a Black birder in Central Park. As a result, Cooper received one year imprisonment. However, that doesn’t make all viral Karens guilty of racism — calling someone by an anonymous name can be risky since it grants them an aura of anonymity they do not deserve, according to Insider’s explanation.
Karen memes first surfaced online in 2017 as a way of mocking middle-aged white women who are perceived as acting rude or entitled, according to a senior editor at Know Your Meme. “The idea of using an insult for middle aged white women who are perceived to have power has long been around, so when this started appearing it caught on quickly,” Schimkowitz explained.
The term “Karen” was first coined as a joke on Reddit in 2018, according to Know Your Meme. But in 2018, the term began being used pejoratively against women seeking custody of their children from an ex-husband, according to Jon Gosselin of Know Your Meme. As a result, the subreddit r/F—YouKaren gained popularity and now boasts over 600,000 members.
