“Karen” is just a modern iteration of a long tradition of certain people using their (real or imagined) status to mistreat others and generally act in an entitled manner. Older, alternative names include "Barbecue Becky", "Cornerstore Caroline", and "Permit Patty," or even the classic “soccer mom.” In 2023, “Karen” doesn’t even have to refer to an entitled female, there are plenty of male Karen’s as well.
“Karen” specifically likely originated from a 2016 internet meme and was later popularized by Reddit. The term spread and now there are multiple internet groups dedicated to sharing, discussing, and shaming Karens.
What makes the “Karen” meme so appealing and long-lasting is its perfect blend of entitlement, pettiness, and a lack of understanding. A customer making a legitimate request to a business is not a Karen, if one is entitled to a refund, they should actually get it and shouldn't be shamed for requesting it. For a time, the term was associated with a specific haircut and demeanor, but as public awareness has evolved, people now realize that “Karens” come in all shapes and sizes.
#7 My Mom Asked Me What Makes A Woman A Karen. I Showed Her This. She Immediately Understood
For example, Elon Musk was called a space Karen for some statements he made, although some have put forth alternatives like “Ken” or “Kevin,” however, none of these have really stuck. It seems that the recursive nature of internet memes will ensure that “Karen” remains the go-to way to refer to a person that is so entitled that they really deserve to be shamed online.
In 2019, a tropical storm was named “Karen,” in the old tradition of giving these weather events female names. The internet exploded with memes about the hurricane demanding to see, presumably, the United States manager and others photoshopped the “Karen” haircut onto satellite imagery of the storm.
Indeed, using the magic of the internet, we are actually able to discover just how prevalent “Karens” are, resulting in some places slowly adjusting policies to limit this sort of behavior. San Francisco, for example, has the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies (CAREN) Act, to prevent, you guessed it, Karens from calling emergency services over, say, a child going about their business.
Some brands have tried to capitalize on this trend, for example, Domino's Pizza in Australia and New Zealand ran a campaign offering free pizzas to “nice Karens,” in a somewhat misguided attempt to foster positive behavior. The campaign was criticized and it does seem foolish, as what better way to bring out the worst in people than conditional free food? Ultimately, Dominos had to apologize for the campaign.
