Karen is a term often found in popular and meme culture that refers to an irritating woman who projects herself as self-centered, arrogant, and privileged.
Karens first gained prominence during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, when people identified as Karens made headlines across America.
Many have tried Ken, Jeremy and Richard as possible names for Karen’s future husband; none have stuck.
Kens Are Male Karens
Karen is a derogatory term that describes white women who appear overly demanding or entitled. It usually arises during incidents involving racism or when women use their privilege to gain what they want from life, although this title is sometimes applied to women with particular bob hairstyles.
In 2020, Karens became popularly used as part of the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. Early on in this pandemic, social media users often called those refusing to wear face masks in public places “Karens”, leading to video footage becoming viral on the internet.
Karens” refer to those who opt not to wear masks and share coronavirus disinformation and conspiracy theories online, such as in 2020 when deadly coronavirus hit the US; since then this trend has spread internationally as well.
Internet memes show this term being used all too frequently – from BBQ Becky to Permit Patty. But following an outrage-inducing tweet featuring an image of a couple from St Louis brandishing guns to protect their home, many users on Twitter have suggested that “Karen” may be seen as a racial slur.
However, this does not have to be the case: in certain instances involving Karens who do not fit this stereotype – such as Portland’s Wall of Moms in Oregon where middle-class white women were encouraged by activists to use their privilege to voice criticism against systemic racism and classism.
Some have asked why women don’t seem to get as much criticism for acting like Karens as men do; scholars such as Amy Williams have researched this phenomenon extensively within American culture.
Williams asserts in her book Whitewashed: Why We Fail to See Black People the Way We Should that whites have internalized racist narratives for too long, making any criticism of their behavior appear as white supremacy and therefore easier for them to dismiss as being from outside themselves.
Social media and the Internet make this even more apparent, with some trolls trying to popularize male versions of Karen as a meme; unfortunately, due to limited name options for men with stereotypes attached they didn’t get very far with it.
Kevins Are Male Karens
Karens and their sub-Karens have become an internet phenomenon through their actions ranging from calling the police on Black neighbors, threatening their homes or posting racist memes online.
Attracting these “bloomers” involves finding white women in middle age with specific bleach blonde bob haircuts who meet certain standards, often showing an entitlement and insecurity while engaging in racist behaviors online.
Karens are not new; this trend dates back to at least 2017. Indeed, their sub-Karens date even earlier. Misogyny in this movement dates back to 2017.
Megan Williams pointed out in Medium that this trend has its origins in racism. According to Williams, Karens are entitled white women living in societies which value and exploit them financially.
Therefore, she believes this meme to be an extension of American culture’s racist narrative, making it essential to address both its racial undertones as well as gendered aspects.
Male Karens are an offshoot of the Karen meme that has been trending online since mid-2010s. There has been much discussion over what the correct name should be for these “Male Versions of Karen.”
Kevin is one of the more popular suggestions, according to DigitalCultures Memes, as it sounds phonetically similar to Karen and seems like an appropriate name for someone with athletic build and white skin tone.
Kevin also stands out as being slightly sexier than other male Karens; most other Karens tend not to have as much tan and shorter hair than Kevin does.
Kevin doesn’t possess the same air of innocence and naivete found among his co-stars in Karen meme; moreover, his less intellectual attitude makes him ideal for this particular trope.
Male Karens can often be just as bad. Take for instance a man who called 911 on a group of Black and Latino men for using a gym in their apartment building; during his call with 911 he shouted out “White lives matter too!”. This wasn’t an isolated incident either: earlier this year in Minneapolis another male Karen called 911 on some Black men he believed were harassing him.
Chads Are Male Karens
Karen has become a common shorthand for middle-aged white women with an extreme entitlement mentality. Recently, this term has even inspired viral memes like Reddit posts like “f*** you, Karen”.
Anti-vaxxers and those who scream out racist microaggressions to other people as well as calling authorities about racist incidents often qualify as self-entitled and are typically irritating and offensive individuals.
In 2020, Karen became increasingly well known in the US due to widespread awareness. Amidst a coronavirus pandemic and protests for racial justice, many instances of white women engaging in behavior perceived as self-indulgent or offensive were labeled Karens and made public.
Some incidents were particularly alarming, such as when a New York City woman attacked Red Lobster employees earlier this year and called police on a black birdwatcher after accusing them of threatening her. Another was “Central Park Karen”, who falsely accused a black birdwatcher of threatening her by falsely accusing them of threatening.
But there are also plenty of less overt examples of people acting like Karens; such as speaking out against racism in conversations or seeking permission to insult service workers by speaking directly with management.
People with histories of violence who try to put the blame for their own bad actions onto others may also fall into this category, while also often being rude or discourteous in nature. Additionally, such individuals tend to be very obnoxious and offensive when confronted directly.
People hate these individuals for various reasons, but there are people taking steps to stop them. One San Francisco politician introduced the CAREN Act – Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies Act.
At best, this is just a small step in the right direction; many others still need to be reminded how obnoxious these individuals can be and hopefully this will give them time to reflect before engaging with these individuals again in future interactions.
As soon as then comes, it’s time to stop being Karen or Chad and attempt to make our names into the dictionary!
Kyles Are Male Karens
Female Karens typically distinguish themselves online via a distinct bob cut hairstyle; male Karens do not share an identifiable and distinctive physical trait that allows them to stand out on social media; this makes it impossible to classify them based on appearance, and could include anything from an overweight white male looking like they might have taken steroids all the way up to supporters of President Donald Trump.
Though Karens are unmistakably different, they remain an extremely hot topic online. People have taken to referring to people wearing MAGA hats who support Donald Trump as Karens; others include anyone standing before Trump monuments or having a shirt reading “Karen in Chief”.
Karen has become a household term since 2020 when it first made headlines during a coronavirus outbreak. At that time, it was mostly linked with racism; since then however, its usage has expanded much wider into our society.
Today, Karen is used to refer to a particular kind of white woman who causes offence by coming across as entitled and privileged – whether intentionally or otherwise. It has become a viral term across the internet; such as when two white people called police on an Asian-American doctor. Or when a St. Louis lawyer couple had pistols drawn outside their home against protestors.
Similar to its use with black males, Kyle has long been used as a descriptor of white boys who indulge in Monster energy drinks while punching holes into walls. But this term only became widely known after 2019, when an incidental tweet displayed an example of someone stockpiling Monster energy drinks before punching out holes in a wall.
As it turns out, this depiction is an accurate portrayal of Kyle. They tend to be very angry, loud and insensitive to other people’s feelings – often becoming quite violent towards others as a result.
This has generated much discussion on the Internet, prompting many users to ask what we should call male Karens. After numerous user inquiries and attempts at creating an exclusive subreddit dedicated to this phenomenon, no suitable term has yet been derived.
