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professor Heather Suzanne Woods, whose research interests include memes, said that a Karen’s defining characteristics are a sense of entitlement, a willingness and desire to complain, and a self-centered approach to interacting with others. According to Woods, a Karen “demands the world exist according to her standards with little regard for others, and she is willing to risk or demean others to achieve her ends”. Rachel Charlene Lewis, writing for , agrees, saying that a Karen does not view others as individuals and instead moves “through the world prepared to fight faceless conglomerate of lesser-than people who won’t give her what she wants and feels she deserves”.
media researcher has said that the idea of a white woman in the vicinity of whom black people feel a need to be careful because she would not 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”. Karen Grigsby Bates agrees that Karen is part of a succession of characters like Miss Ann and Becky, adding that the concept of Karen, as black people had been using the term, became clear to white people when played a sketch with as his character . notes that “the image of a white woman calling police on black people put the lie to the myth of racial innocence”. Contemporary Karens have been compared to (a white woman whom was accused of offending, resulting in his lynching), and in literature, (a fictional character in the 1960 novel ).
Women named Karen have been bullied and felt they could not share opinions without being labelled and silenced. One recent study found that the perceived disrespect and abuse they experience because of their name has had a negative impact on the mental health of women who are named Karen. Some 23 percent of the study participants reported that they had been verbally threatened and seven percent reported that they had been physically assaulted after others heard their name. Such discriminatory treatment is similar to the “namism” experienced by others who bear given names that have been used as slurs for racial or cultural groups. Participants in the study came from a variety of religious, racial, cultural and economic backgrounds, reflecting the widespread popularity of the name Karen for women in the during the mid-20th century.
Developed and led by Karen Faith, our curriculum empowers participants with advanced skills of curiosity, non-judgment and self-awareness when engaging with others, or designing experiences for them.
Aggressively refusing to wear a face covering to help protect others from the virus has been seen as a new iteration of the stereotype of the entitled Karen who harasses service industry workers. Similarly, people who share coronavirus disinformation and conspiracy theories on social media are called Karens, too.
