The Karen video meme has gained notoriety over the last few years to denote white women perceived as arrogant or entitled in public. These behaviors may range from demanding to speak with a store manager to being racist and wearing certain hairstyles, all of which could be considered acts of entitlement.
Recently, we’ve seen videos of Karens from a bagel shop woman coughing on customers to the Central Park bird-watcher who called 911. While these are disturbing videos, Aram Sinnreich, an associate professor of communication at American University in Washington D.C. finds them captivating and captivating.
1. The Victoria’s Secret Karen
Victoria’s Secret, as many are aware, is an acclaimed fashion brand with its own runway show and “Angels” representing collections. However, in recent years the brand has faced considerable backlash.
In November 2019, Victoria’s Secret revealed its plans to revamp their fashion show. Instead of using Angels as models, the company is now featuring athletes and activists as spokesmodels.
Months prior, the company announced plans to close several stores due to financial troubles. Furthermore, more than half of their television audience has left in two years – leading them to this rebranding decision.
Recently, the company has come under heavy criticism for using Walmart factories to manufacture its products. This poses a major problem, particularly as consumers become aware of other cheaper brands with better quality goods available at lower costs.
Victoria’s Secret has responded to the backlash by altering their image and hiring women of color as spokesmodels for the brand. But that doesn’t change the fact that Victoria’s Secret still has a lot of work to do.
A video featuring white woman Ijeoma Ukenta, known as the “Victoria’s Secret Karen,” went viral after it was captured inside a store in New Jersey. Ukenta began filming the encounter and later posted it online.
2. The Uber Karen
On Thanksgiving week in Washington DC, a woman identified as “DC Karen” was caught engaging an Uber driver in an racial tirade. Videos of the incident were shared online by Washingtonian Problems – a community news account based in the area.
The driver had just picked up a passenger from an apartment in Cathedral Heights when an aggressive and racist woman approached him. Luckily, he managed to capture the entire exchange on video which quickly went viral, leading to her ban from Uber.
It’s unclear if she is white, but her racism fits the profile of an entitled karen. She can be heard calling her driver a’slave’ and using racial slurs before repeatedly calling him the N-word.
She then says her phone wasn’t plugged in and asks him to cancel their ride, forfeiting their reward tier and bonus opportunities on TikTok. Immediately, she is ejected from the car; later on, this video was posted onto TikTok where it has since been scrubbed.
It is unclear how the woman came to be labeled ‘Karen,’ but her actions are another example of an entitled white woman abusing her privilege for malicious ends. We recently saw this trend with 2020’s “Central Park Karen,” when a white woman falsely claimed she was being threatened by Black bird watchers while taking her dog for a stroll.
3. The TikTok Karen
Have you been on TikTok lately? You may have come across a video of an undercover vigilante going undercover in private Facebook groups to expose those using racial slurs. Her alter ego “Aunt Karen” (@dn_bradley) created it as an attempt to identify and expose racists online.
She established her page in 2020 with the purpose of “disseminating the truth of our community,” but it soon became clear that she’s much more than that – she’s also a social justice warrior and champion for Black women.
In one of her recent videos, she confronted a man who attempted to take down a Joe Biden campaign sign and threatened him with calling the police. She recorded the encounter and uploaded it onto her page for all to view.
She then posted another video depicting a White Lives Matter Facebook group. In it, she expressed her shock and disgust at witnessing racism, violence and hatred firsthand.
In addition to her viral videos, she recently launched a YouTube channel dedicated to self-love and positive affirmations. With thousands of followers, she isn’t sure what her future holds yet; though she hopes to become an educator one day. In the meantime, she’ll keep posting on TikTok in an effort to assist others; her followers even started a hashtag called #blackgirlfollowtrain in honor of her!
4. The Lisa Alexander Karen
Lisa Alexander Karen is the latest white woman to be caught on camera harassing a neighbor of color. After watching viral video footage of her verbally abusing a man of color for stenciling “Black Lives Matter” on his own property, she apologized late Sunday afternoon.
Lisa Alexander, owner of LaFace Skincare in San Francisco, and her husband Robert Larkin confronted James Juanillo for scrawling “Black Lives Matter” with chalk on his own property. This encounter was recorded on video and has since gone viral, sparking an immense amount of backlash.
In the video, Juanillo was stenciling “Black Lives Matter” on a retaining wall outside his own home in Pacific Heights when Alexander and her husband approached him. Suspecting Juanillo of trespassing, Alexander began shouting at him and threatened to call the police on him.
She yelled at him for not taking her phone when she requested to take a photo with him. This encounter was captured on video and has quickly become one of Karen public freakout videos’ most popular clips.
In 2020, the term “Karen” gained notoriety during the coronavirus pandemic when those who opposed social distancing measures were labeled Karens. Many of these women demonstrate rage and entitlement due to their privilege and sense of superiority.
5. The Ciara Miller Karen
Karens have long been a symbol of white supremacist culture, but this year they’ve taken on an iconic status. From falsely accusing Black people of crimes to using the N-word in public places, Karens are everywhere on social media – a sure sign that racism remains alive and well.
Though the Karen trend has only been going strong for a couple of months, it already features some extreme and outrageous actions that would make Amy “Central Park Karen” Cooper proud. For example, in “Victoria’s Secret Karen,” an image of a white woman having an epic meltdown inside Victoria’s Secret store in New Jersey can be seen.
The video isn’t perfect, but it’s still watchable. There are plenty of sexy moves you can enjoy and laugh at, but this isn’t your typical music video for a song about sexual activity (unless, of course, Ciara Miller stars!).
This video has gone viral and been widely criticized for being inaccurate. It’s unclear what actually occurred, and the woman appears to have no awareness that she’s being recorded. Some have questioned whether or not the editing was done intentionally to distort the narrative. Furthermore, there are questions surrounding whether she has a criminal record or any mental health issues.
6. The Super Karen
Karen: An Outrage Simulator hits a sweet spot when it comes to games featuring white women acting completely ridiculous. In this title, you take control of middle-aged Karen – an angry white woman who believes people are causing her problems. To manage their emotional endurance, Karen must use dialogue options that sap confidence, shorten patience and guilt trip them into giving in quickly so she can get her way.
Karen will encounter six locations throughout her journey, each offering its own set of dialogue options. At one point, a timid employee politely requests she follow their policy and wear a mask upon entering. However, Karen takes offense at this request, believing it unnecessary to prevent coronavirus spread and believes she would benefit more healthfully without it on.
Another location where I found myself laughing out loud was a coffee shop. The sarcastic blonde who’s shouting at customers and staff to get off their butts is the epitome of how an overreaction can spiral into full-blown panic.
During quarantine, the trend of “anti-mask Karren” videos has gained steam. While their content has been scrutinized, some skeptics argue it serves as a harmless diversion from the pandemic’s tensions and conversations around race and police brutality. Furthermore, many viral incidents are presented without context which leaves people vulnerable to doxxing and harassment.
