Karen is a slang term typically used to refer to a middle-class white American woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding.
The term has been considered pejorative by those who believe it is racist, sexist , ageist , classist , and controlling women's behavior. During , the term increasingly appeared in media and social media, including during the COVID pandemic and George Floyd protests. In African-American culture , there is a history of calling difficult white women or those who "weaponize" their position by a generic pejorative name.
For the term "Karen", several possible origins have been proposed. A more pointed explanation, which involves race, is the expression originating among black people to refer to unreasonable white women.
Kansas State University 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. The meme carries several stereotypes, the most notable being that a Karen will demand to "speak to the manager" of a hypothetical service provider.
Pictures of Kate Gosselin and Jenny McCarthy 's bob cut are often used to depict a Karen, [ 20 ] and their bobs are sometimes called the "can-I-speak-to-your-manager? According to Apryl Williams of the University of Michigan , the memes "actively call out white supremacy and call for restitution".
