“Come on, stop being your Karen”, that’s what you may have already said to that friend who seems to be having a bad day and yells at the waiter at the restaurant. Sweater with sliding closure, sports leggings, well-laced sneakers, Karen is this vindictive American mother in her forties who is ready to fight, who has become a universal meme (viral humorous element, widely available on the Internet).
Where is she from ? Difficult to establish clearly, but the use of this first name to make fun of women control freak and unpleasant appears in 2018. Today, this fictional character from the American middle-class suburbs is known throughout the world. On TikTok, the hashtag #karen already has more than 45 billion views.
In most memes, the gimmick “I would like to speak to the manager” is displayed below photo of a woman with large glasses sun, plunging platinum blonde bob, grouchy expression.
The Karen could have fit perfectly into the cast of our dear Desperate Housewives. It is the style of mum to absolutely want to become a delegate of the parents of pupils and to obtain a VIP parking space in front of the establishment, because it is her right. She votes Republican, drinks the words of Donald Trump, drives a big SUV, thinks that the Covid-19 is wind. She is not racist, because she has a “black friend”.
The Black Lives Matter turning point
A vigilante at heart, the Karen sometimes feels invested with missions. No question of sitting with arms folded watching the prank to come, she has the nose to smell. Heroic, participating in night patrols to protect his quiet little neighborhood from possible thugs does not scare him.
The Karen Agenda: 1. Create a problem 2. Demand a manager (if applicable) 3. Play the victim 4. Call the police
This meme is getting more political in 2020, after the death of African American George Floyd, in Minneapolis (Minnesota), during a police arrest. The Black Lives Matter movement is gaining momentum around the world. On social networks, the Karen is gradually becoming the emblem of the racist White. Like the video, posted on Twitter, of a white woman who vociferates that she is going to call the police because a “African-American threatens to [la] kill “. The man in question had, in fact, asked him to tie up his dog.
With each case, the Karen emerges and connotes ever more pejoratively this first name, which has become a symbol of systemic racism in the United States. At home, we use it mainly to talk about a housewife who is a little heavy, with uncomfortable behavior. In short, if you are told that you are one, it is not a compliment.
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