When a celebrity comes forth that has the same name as you, it can be kinda annoying. How many Keanu’s out there spent years being asked ‘what’s it like in The Matrix?’ for example.
Well sometimes it can be worse, especially when the name you were innocently given at birth by loving parents gets associated with something negative (the name Adolph doesn’t get used much anymore eh). And now in the 21st century one of those names is Karen.
So whats it like being named Karen in a world where ‘Karen’ has become such a negative connotation – a pejorative rather than a first name if you will? To find out I asked my cousin Karen, who though Karen by name is definitely not a ‘Karen’ by nature.
*Please Note: to avoid confusion, the adjective usage of Karen will always appear in italics with talking marks – ‘Karen’; it’s usage as a first name will be simply Karen.
Over the past few years ‘Karen’ has become an increasingly popular term to describe women that are privileged and demanding, insisting on their own way, becoming used as the adjective ‘Karen’ rather than simply a first name. How does it feel to have your birth name used as an insult to others? It is irritating or something you just laugh off?
Well at first it was funny and I myself got a good laugh out of it… especially with the “Covid Karen” Now I’m starting to find it a little annoying and offensive and I find myself saying (when I’m asked for my name) “I’m not one of those Karen’s!”
The term ‘Karen’ to describe a woman who feels the desire to complain first cropped up in 2016 and then gained popularity in 2017 from where it has continued to spread. Do you think it will eventually disappear to be replaced by something else, or is the term here to stay?
I think it will eventually be replaced by another name but I feel it will still pop up from time to time. Especially from my family.
In the town you reside in, in December 2019, a woman actually named Karen performed a very ‘Karen’ act which was trying (unsuccessfully) to rip down her neighbors Aboriginal Flag and questioning his ancestry. The video of this went viral worldwide, earning the tag #toostrongforyoukaren and even lead to an anti-racism rally. The incident has been resurrected in 2021 with the Karen in question currently attempting to sue over 30 news outlets that reported the story. How did it affect you that another woman named Karen did a ‘Karen’ act in your very own town, thereby reinforcing the idea that the name can be used as an insult against women?
I was actually disgusted and angry at what happened here in 2019. I was actually embarrassed to tell people my name was Karen as the “Karen thing” went crazy everywhere.
In October 2020 the San Francisco Police Code officially introduced the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act. This was to prohibit the fabrication of racially biased emergency reports – essentially to stop white women calling the police to come arrest black families who were guilty of nothing, something ‘Karen’s’ in the US are most well known for. Do you think the ‘Karen’ phenomena is predominantly an American cultural issue, or do you think it is worldwide?
I think it’s pretty much a world wide thing, just in different degrees.
Some have said the insult ‘Karen’ is both sexist against females and racist against Caucasian women. Where do you stand on this?
I don’t find it sexist or racist. I don’t feel it’s aimed solely at white females in general. I’ve actually hear the “Karen tag” used on a couple of men.
I hesitate to ever use the term ‘Karen’ because of our relationship, and we are simply cousins who have not seen each other in many years and primarily interact with each other on Social Media. What about the people closer to you in your life like friends and family, do they ever use the term ‘Karen’? Or do they refrain from doing so because of their relationship to you?
Well my family use it quite often! ️ It’s a bit of an inside joke around our house, but they have never used it outside the house in front of others. I think they know that it was a bit of a joke to start with when it all first started but a few of the “Karen’s” have gone a bit to far and caused problems and it is no longer funny.
Have you yourself ever watched any ‘Karen’ videos, such as the Bunnings Incident in Melbourne of last year?
Ohhhh yes… how could you miss it!! Plastered all over TV and social media. Bunnings “Karen” was a total disgrace and certainly didn’t do anything to help the “Karen Thing!”
And finally, what would you say to the following groups:
*Other women named Karen:
Well I guess while they are picking on “Karen’s” they are leaving someone else’s name alone.
*Women who act like ‘Karen’s’:
Don’t stereotype Karen’s… there are plenty of Julie’s or Jans (or whoever’s) out there who act just like “Karen’s”
*People that use the name Karen as an insult:
Obviously they’re vocabulary is very limited 😂
Many thanks to my lovely cousin Karen for doing this interview.
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