Karens have become household names thanks to an internet meme featuring them. This satirical trope revolves around middle-aged white women with asymmetrical bobs who demand to speak to managers but come off as entitled and ignorant.
Since 2017, when it first launched, r/F—YouKaren has amassed over 600,000 members.
Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson is getting concerned at the lack of Karens in the world
There used to be many people named Karen, but in recent years it’s become an uncommon name, likely due to its association with entitled complainers. Even now when being served by someone called Karen at a restaurant you might get interrupted as they demand to speak to the manager about how awful their experience was.
Now Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson has decided to use his own cash in an attempt to address that problem. He’s on a quest to pay up to 100 people with legal name changes to Karen in hopes that it’ll save it from complete extinction. After realising that less than 500 babies are being born every year with Karen names alone, Matt decided on this campaign when it became evident there will soon no more Karens alive today.
He’s on a quest to pay up to 100 people to have their names legally changed to Karen
New York-based author Abbott Kahler recently decided to stop using her birth name of Karen to avoid becoming part of any meme or jokes online; however, her decision still proved unsuccessful due to people making racist and sexual jokes about it online. Abbott expressed how hurt her feelings were after she continued being taunted online over it: “I grew up with it!”
Since Karen first surfaced as an online meme in 2020, there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of women named Karen; indeed, it has officially fallen out of the top 1000 most popular baby names for girls for the first time ever in US history.
Karens have experienced a dramatic decrease in popularity due to negative associations associated with their name as well as rising levels of racism and sexism in America. According to reports, this decline can be attributed to its negative connotations as well as increased instances of sexism and racism towards them.
“Karen” has come to symbolize an entitled, petty woman who enjoys complaining to restaurant and store managers. Many parents now choose alternative names for their babies as it has been widely associated with entitled white women who act entitled.
Radio DJ Matt Edmondson has taken steps to combat the decline of Karens around the world by spending his own money to change as many names legally to Karen as possible. He plans on paying up to 100 individuals so their names may legally change to Karen.
Are You One of 100 Lucky People Looking to Change to Karen Legally? Sign Up Here Now and Become Eligible! The winner of this contest will receive payment for legal fees associated with changing their name legally as well as a lifetime supply of Format Games’ board games!
He’s also made a board game called Karen
The internet has recently become fascinated with a specific group of white women dubbed Karens. This trend emerged recently as a way of mocking these individuals for their entitlement and unruly behaviors – such as blocking people in parking lots from accessing desired spots; or calling police over perceived issues. Viral videos depicting Karens illustrate why so many refer to her by this name – such as when one woman blocked another one from entering desired spaces at an airport parking lot or another called authorities over perceived disputes between black birdsers and Karens over perceived misunderstandings between two parties involved over an incident between birdsong birdsong them both times!
Subreddits dedicated to ridiculing images of stereotypical Karen have become popular internet memes since 2017. One such subreddit, called r/FuckYouBecky or r/SlutWalkers are widely-followed examples that use mockery of certain groups as an effective form of ridicule.
No harm comes from having fun, but some are concerned that the Karen meme is shaping how people view women born with that name. While its creators maintain it’s harmless since people are only mocking those who act entitled, but those named-shamed feel its effects firsthand and it has already affected their lives.
Abbott Kahler, an artist, told BBC she has experienced discrimination as a result of this trend, with people treating her differently and telling her not to visit certain stores and restaurants or that they don’t want her work. “It has been very negative,” she stated.
Karen-shaming doesn’t only affect artists. A New York City author has spoken out against its effects. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised that turning your name into an insult has negative repercussions, but the impact has been profound for her,” she stated.
Karen first became popular in 1965, so many women being named-shamed likely aren’t baby boomers themselves. Some argue that name-shaming can be seen as a form of racism and classism which applies equally regardless of race or class; other’s point out it’s unfair to call all white women Karens; in addition, men tend to disregard coronavirus restrictions more easily and should therefore be free from ridicule; they’re justified in being concerned and it might be time for this trend to go away altogether.
