: The Beauty & Necessity of A Notorious Haircut", "10+ Memes of Karen, the Infamous 'Speak to the Manager' Haircut", "Is calling someone 'Karen' a slur? "[3], British journalist and feminist Julie Bindel asked, "Does anyone else think the 'Karen' slur is woman-hating and based on class prejudice? Karen is a pejorative term used in the United States and other English-speaking countries for a woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is appropriate or necessary… "Kidz Bop Karen," nicknamed after she claimed her children couldn't hear her unleashing a foul-mouthed rant against a driver who allegedly cut her off because they were listening to children's music, has become a mega-viral meme. "[8], The meme carries several stereotypes, the most notable being that a Karen will demand to "speak with the manager" of a hypothetical service provider. Additional “Karen” haircut characteristics are having the hair in your back be shorter than the hair in your front and having harsh blonde highlights. Currently at your workplace speaking to your manager.” The submission continues, “Mid-aged white women with bob cuts are not to be spoken to in any sort of tone.” a group of people of eastern and southern Burma (Myanmar). 3 Comments. Now, it's used as a moniker for any white woman who's thought to be acting inappropriately, rudely, or in an entitled manner. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Karen, with her “speak to the manager” haircut often prominently figured, is used in memes and on social media when complaining about an obnoxious, ignorant, difficult, offensive woman or the stereotype of such a woman. This is not meant to be a formal definition of Karen like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is [5], There are several possible origins of the term. "[19], The term has also been called sexist and anti-woman, with Hadley Freeman arguing that use of the meme has become less about describing behavior than controlling it and "telling women to shut up". Karen may also be used to call out older adults considered to have narrow-minded viewpoints. [14] Adam Downer, and associate editor at Know Your Meme, said that while the 2017 Reddit version of the meme had started out primarily as a joke, the meaning had evolved to "[speak] to the sobering real-life consequences". Most recently, "Karen" is being used to describe women who feel entitled not to follow social distancing guidelines or stay at home orders. [1][2] Depictions also may include demanding to "speak to the manager", being racist or sporting a particular bob cut hairstyle. She’s particularly compelling when tensions are … The term has been criticised for being sexist, ageist, misogynistic, or seeking to control female behaviour. Carlos has later submitted an apology video via social media. that will help our users expand their word mastery. includes things such as the “speak to the manager” haircut, minivans, rhinestones, “Live, Laugh, Love” posters, and Spotify playlists consisting of 2000s-era pop/pop-rock songs. Thus, many Karens are, in fact, of the boomer generation. ", "How the name 'Karen' became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme", "The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism", "How the name Karen became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme", "How 'Karen' Became a Coronavirus Villain", "How the Karen Meme Confronts History of White Womanhood", "Karen: The anti-vaxxer soccer mom with speak-to-the-manager hair, explained", "Nintendo Switch's best, most revealing meme is antisocial 'Karen, "Column: Is the 'Karen' meme sexist? var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; [28][29] The Jim-Crow era male equivalent to Miss Ann was Mister Charlie. just say you're transphobic and go https://t.co/YHygLGg6Nd, — HUGGED DOM & MET GEJPOLICJA (@memoryofhelena) November 21, 2019. An additional explanation is that it comes from the character Karen in the 2004 film Mean Girls, who’s the subject of the popular quote: “Oh my God, Karen, you can’t just ask someone why they’re white.” It’s even been put forth that Karen comes from the even earlier 1990 film Goodfellas, in which one of the characters is named Karen. [8], University of Virginia media researcher Meredith Clark has said that the idea of a white woman in the vicinity of whom Blacks need to be careful because she won't hesitate to use her "privilege" at the expense of others "has always been there; it just hasn't always been so specific to one person's name. [23][24], Apryl Williams of the University of Michigan said the meme was ultimately beneficial in helping people recognize problematic behaviors and provide evidence of those behaviors being recognized and placed it within a genre she refers to as "Black activist memes". “Karen” is commonly used in the US to refer to a strident middle-class white woman who talks down to people of colour, usually in serving-staff … [7] According to Grigsby Bates, the concept of Karen, as Black people had been using the term, became clear to whites when Saturday Night Live did a Black Jeopardy sketch with Chadwick Boseman playing as his Black Panther character T’Challa. [14][13][22][18], In December 2020, The Guardian expanded on the links between the term and racism with an article titled, The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism, and saying "The image of a white woman calling police on Black people put the lie to the myth of racial innocence". [26][27] Numerous names for a male equivalent of Karen have been floated, with little agreement on a single name. According to Urban, a Karen is a “middle aged woman, typically blonde, makes solutions to others’ problems an inconvenience to her … [3] The term has been criticised for being sexist, ageist, misogynistic, or seeking to control female behavior. They are all bad — even when used against white people, believe it or not. How to define a Karen? If you need more information, know that Karen likes to be in charge (think junior netball coach, … Spreading online in early November 2019 was a joke that Generation X is the Karen Generation (the name being associated with people born between 1964–85). Karen, however, is a term used to label people who refuse to treat others with humanity. It would change the San Francisco Police Code to prohibit the fabrication of racially biased emergency reports. Another suggestion is that it comes from a 2005 bit by Dane Cook called “The Friend Nobody Likes.” (The friend was named Karen.) "[31] Karen Attiah argues that it lacks the historical context to be a slur, and that calling it one trivializes actual discrimination. [32] Others argue that the targets of the term have immense privilege, and that "an epithet that lacks the power to discriminate is just an insult. [41] He recorded her calling the police and telling them that an "African-American man" was threatening her and her dog. "[10] According to Clark, Miss Ann was a Jim Crow-era "cheeky, in-group shorthand amongst Black people" for white people who used their privilege as a weapon. Record of the insult Karen appears as early as September 2016 when a Tumblr user, joematar, made fun of a promo for Nintendo Switch in which a white woman (appearing to be in her late 20s or early 30s) brings the gaming device to a party. [12], Pejorative term used in several English-speaking countries, This article is about the pejorative term. The term also refers to memes depicting white women who use their privilege to demand their own way. (function(d, s, id) { According to Social Security data, Karen was indeed the fourth most popular name for newborn girls in the 1960s, peaking at #3 in 1965. If so, what is the male equivalent? Yes, it is their given name – but on the internet, “Karen” has come to stand for so much more. Emails. Aside from the disruption, this violated NBA rules, where all spectators must wear a face covering at all times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "[10][11], Contemporary Karens have been compared to Carolyn Bryant and Mayella Ewell. The two met while he was in law school at Indiana University. no, karen, no boy will see you naked. [4][25] Similarly, in November 2020, a tweet calling Elon Musk "Space Karen" over comments he made regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 testing became viral. 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