The Making of a Karen
The True Meaning of ‘Karen’
A white lady with a bone to pick. A raging bull with highlights that look like vinegar sludge. An unhappy, jealous person yelling at a kid for selling lemonade. These are the many faces of Karen.
It seems Karens are everywhere today. They’re harassing skateboarders, lunging at them from behind trees like creatures out of Pokémon Go. They’re guarding parking spots with their own slovenly dressed, live bodies. And they’re punching cashiers because their Walmart coupons are three years old.
But what exactly IS a Karen? A middle-aged, white woman with privilege who calls upon managers? Sometimes ‘Karen’ is used to describe white nationalism and entitlement. ‘Karen’ can be anti-vaccine. She can be anti-mask.
The Karen insult isn’t even left to women. Donald Trump has been called ‘Karen in Chief.’ And Elon Musk was called ‘Space Karen’ when he complained his Covid test result was bogus.
It seems Karen is now just becoming a word we use when we dislike someone for whatever reason we like. I’m worried ‘Karen’ is losing her original and true meaning. A meaning which… I actually think might be important.
Dominos Gives Karens Free Pizza
Dominos pizza in Australia ran a giveaway to offer ‘Nice Karens’ a free pizza. If your name was actually ‘Karen,’ you could write 250 words about why you were one of the nice ones and get a free pizza.
"The name 'Karen' has become synonymous with anyone who is entitled, selfish and likes to complain," Domino's chief marketing officer in the region, Allan Collins, said while introducing the offer.
"What used to be a light-hearted meme has become quite the insult to anyone actually named Karen.
"Well, today we're taking the name Karen back. At Domino's, we're all about bringing people together and we want to celebrate all the great Karens out there by shouting them a free pizza!"
Now, I think this is absolutely hilarious. It’s the kind of lighthearted goodness that brightens up my dreary day. I, in no universe, even as a privileged white woman, take offense to this. BUT…people did. There was so much backlash that Dominos actually STOPPED the campaign.
The irony. Karens canceled a giveaway FOR KARENS.
Good things were taken because people COMPLAINED… If that is not the definition of Karen-ism, I don’t know what is.
Maybe There is a Karen in All of Us
On many occasions, I find myself complaining and worrying about things I shouldn’t. I tell my cat to stop drinking the water out of the Christmas Tree stand because I’m afraid he’ll get a pine needle stuck in his throat and die like I read about on BuzzFeed. I yell at my husband for microwaving plastic. And I am a massive amateur jaywalk monitor. I could definitely learn to tame my Karen.
Complaining seems the hallmark of our times. Cancel culture is a direct reflection of the very Karen-ism we are mocking. Cancel culture says anyone that says something that we deem offensive by our own rules and world view should be extinguished. That’s privilege, too. It’s like people are calling on the Twitter managers to fire anyone who speaks.
Karens follow their own rules. No one knows their rules but them, and yet they expect everyone to follow them. And when people disobey, the wrath of Karen emerges.
People make rules for their own safety. It’s about feeling unsafe and alone. We all sometimes feel like victims—like the world is out to get us. And ‘Karen’ says, if only we follow the rules, we can keep chaos out of our lives. We can stay sheltered in a happy place. But it isn’t true. Chaos doesn’t follow rules.
If we allow the ‘Karen’ inside of us to make rules, we will follow a life of safety instead of adventure. And we will prevent Dominos from giving away free pizza.
‘Karen’ is about privilege. But it is a privilege anyone can wield. And we shouldn’t.
Size Zero: Book 1 in the Visage Series
"A somber, disturbing mystery fused with a scathing look at the fashion industry. Mangin writes in a confident, razor-edged style." - Kirkus Reviews
Condom dresses and space helmets have debuted on runways. A dead body becomes the trend when a coat made of human skin saunters down fashion’s biggest stage.