Why are thousands of women called “Karen” in viral memes?

You have probably seen a lot of memes or strange messages with women named “Karen” in the past few weeks. You should know that this is not his name.

The origin of the term “Karen” is uncertain, but it describes white women who shout and exaggerate common situations because they violate their personal rules

On the internet, the term “Karen” is used to refer to white women with a single word who lead very exaggerated scandals for insignificant situations or who believe they have the power to do so by going beyond the law, authorities and even other people .

There are a few variations on the term. For example, in the United States they are also known as BBQ Becky, Permit Patty, or Cornerstore Caroline, but in the end they all refer to the same thing, they are all Karen. This means, “Women who are not right but still scream and demand to have it«.

The Karen are characterized as “selfish people who assume their unique right to protest and an infinite desire to complain about anything.” Furthermore, they are antagonistic, irritating women who lack the sanity, common sense or logic of their surroundings when they demand that the rules be made the way they wish, without respecting, demeaning, humiliating or disrespecting others, just because they have lost their reason and their claim is not considered valid.

Apparently, the Karen appeared in the United States after the coronavirus pandemic was enacted. Many older, fair skinned, and “poorly nourished” women decided that distancing and the use of masks were not for them. That’s why they came out to scream, scandalize, fight other people … for all sorts of reasons: “I don’t want to wait outside”, “I don’t want him to disinfect my hands” or even “this one.” Black saw me ugly “.

Of course, not all white women in America are Karen, but Karen are the ones who irrationally take advantage of the fact that they cannot go to the salon and have their hair or nails done. Or that they couldn’t shop in the malls.

Origin of the term “Karen”

There are many famous memes whose origins are known, but in this case, since Karen is a feminine and even commonly used name, there is no clear origin as to why these irritating and screaming women are called Karen.

The portal «Know your meme», however, indicates that it can be assumed that its origin lies in the film «Heavy Girls» and in his character Karen Smith (played by Amanda Seyfried), who was not very subtle when asking questions most classic “Oh my god Karen, you don’t ask people why they’re white.”

Another option would be to believe that the name comes from “Karen,” a term often used to refer to hurricanes, storms, cyclones, and natural disasters that it leaves behind. Even Deborah Cameron, professor of linguistics at Oxford University, has tried to explain the origin of the name. If a name is used to describe a popular act, it is because there was a first Karen who the others are similar in hair color, skin, irritability, and even dress style.

Of course, Karen is not found at the moment, although the phenomenon continues to grow on social networks and a lot of content with Karen continues to be published: