Recently, “Karen” has become an all-too-common way of describing an out-of-touch white woman who believes herself entitled and can often be violent towards people of color.
If your wife acts like Karen, it might be time to part ways. Here are some signs she may be: 1. She constantly complains.
1. She’s Always Right
Karen is a popular stereotype who can bring laughs while simultaneously exhausting. She thinks she knows everything and always has the answers; whether it be about wearing her hair in different styles, choosing an SUV size or raising children; she thinks she is always right and should always be treated as the smartest person present.
If you are unfamiliar with Karen, a simple Google search will bring up plenty of pictures and videos showing her in action. Her closed-minded views have earned her memes as well as her own subreddit (r/F—YouKaren), according to Know Your Meme. Karen often seems superior to everyone around her despite sharing similar opinions or skin color, acting superior at times even to people she doesn’t believe should share those beliefs.
She may become upset if not allowed to wear a mask in the grocery store or upset that her dog isn’t on leash at the park; her close-minded attitude allows her to feel entitled to have her way and often gets her into trouble. Additionally, she may engage in deceptive tactics and use deception and manipulation techniques against others; for example calling police about something that isn’t true and fabricating stories to fit her agenda or simply “speaking to the manager” about unmet needs.
2. She’s Angry
Karen is an example of someone who believes their way is the only correct path, posting on Nextdoor about “suspicious-looking” neighbors or calling police on black neighbors in parks; or making accusations of tardiness to drivers for making her late for appointments or complaining to them in general about them making them late. Because of her sense of entitlement and closed-minded viewpoint, Karen makes for an ideal viral meme character.
Karen has taken the Internet by storm, with a subreddit r/F—YouKaren amassing over 6 million members and even appearing on a TikTok compilation video. It has struck a chord with people from all walks of life and shows no sign of abating anytime soon; its impact reaches far beyond being simply “meme-worthy.” Many white women in America face issues associated with being stereotyped into being called Karen.
Recent media attention of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth’s separation has shown there are signs that indicate they’ve parted ways. While neither party have officially separated yet, signs that suggest their marriage has taken a hit are abundant: Miley not wearing her wedding band anymore and not posting photos or YouTube videos with Liam anymore are indicators. They haven’t been seen together at events or social media posts together in over a year either – neither one have recorded any new videos together since either party’s separation announcement.
3. She’s High-Strung
Karens can sometimes become angry and indignant when their wishes are not granted, which is why it’s crucial that when dealing with one it’s essential that both parties involved stay calm and adhere strictly to facts; doing this will keep both you and them from feeling unnecessary stress.
Many people use physical characteristics of Karens–her soccer mom “bob” hairdo, an SUV or van, her tendency to call the cops on children playing in parks, and her passion for reserving parking spots–to identify a Karen. But more observant scholars tend to point to specific incidents which demonstrate her less-than-savory characteristics in action.
White women often believe their way is the only correct one, whether that means grilling in a city park or calling police on black and brown people who do not fit her expectations of behavior. Like praying mantis’, these white women cling to their bubble, refusing to acknowledge there may be other places for white people to live.
Karen may react emotionally when being called out on their irrational and entitled behaviors like racism, animal cruelty or panic attacks; often in a lighthearted manner but sometimes seriously and accurately conveying that she needs a wakeup call on how selfish and privileged her actions might be.
4. She’s Exhausting
Karens have often been described as extremely entitled women who lack the ability to read a room and put themselves in other people’s shoes. These individuals typically believe their way is the only right way, unable to see when their own behavior may be offensive or abrasive; moreover, they become upset when other women don’t do exactly as they wish — especially if these other women happen to be Black.
If you’re dating a Karen, it is crucial that you are clear on her expectations from you in your relationship. Furthermore, having an action plan in place when she raises controversial topics that make you uncomfortable may prove invaluable – if these discussions cannot take place without becoming heated and abusive then breaking up may be best to prevent unnecessary turmoil from developing further.
A viral meme has taken the internet by storm, popularly defining stereotypical white women as Karens. While it might be harsh, this term is spot-on: Karens tend to be pushy and corny women who lack empathy, can’t read rooms accurately and tend to complain in a whiny voice.
Karens tend to be suburban moms with bob cuts who display entitlement and racism. These women would likely ask to speak with the manager when a store refuses her return of a COVID-19 mask, before threatening a lawsuit for discrimination against them.
5. She’s Unforgiving
Karen can be quite impatient. If she feels that you are falling short of her expectations, she will quickly point this out to everyone who will listen – often drawing out personal issues as part of this attack on you! This can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable; if a Karen seems to be wearing down your patience too quickly, try talking to them in an unconfrontational manner about this; oftentimes they suffer anxiety which they take out on others instead of finding ways to reduce tension in other ways.
Karens tend to believe that laws and rules of decency don’t apply to them, for instance being offended at being asked by store owners to wear masks, or at park leash laws prohibiting her from letting her dog off-leash.
“Karen” may be used as an insult against white women, but it should be remembered that its usage is nothing new. Black women have long been targeted with demeaning terms like “Shenae”, “La’Quisha” and “ShaNiqua”. Latinas were once called “Consuela” or “Guadalupe” and Asian women “Ling-Ling”. While such names generalize an entire group based on skin color; Karen represents more targeted racism as she targets just one type of white woman for her seemingly unreasonable behaviors.
6. She’s Intolerant
Karen wives tend to be intolerant of anything or anyone foreign to them, from meals that she finds “disgusting” in restaurants to people walking their dogs in her park against leash laws and herding them together, to people breaking into her park by breaking in unruly leashes en masse despite regulations against doing so. When confronted about any privilege being denied her by nonwhite community members in her sphere of influence she becomes very defensive and may get very angry indeed.
Karens don’t like to venture outside their safe bubble and will often react negatively when something makes them uncomfortable, such as encounters with people of color. Karens may post on Facebook suggesting a black person shouldn’t own a dog or call the police on someone who wrote “Black Lives Matter” in chalk on their property.
As for white women in general, not all can be Karens; most of us can successfully avoid or at least mitigate Karen-type situations by understanding her telltale signs. Just watch out for these six indicators of Karen wives so that when intolerant behavior arises you’ll quickly recognize and react appropriately.
