“People Whose Moms Are Karens, What Was The Worst Thing She’s Ever Done?” (29 Answers)

If you spend at least some time online—especially if you’re chronically online—you have probably heard the term Karen at least once or twice (let’s admit, likely way more times). And if you’re one of those who haven’t, let us introduce you. 

Well, technically, Karen is a woman's name, which was at its peak popularity in around 1940-1965. Yet, in the context of online culture, this name has a slightly different connotation. In internet slang, it’s a pejorative term usually referring to a middle-class white woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding.

Basically, these women typically use the fact that they're white and their class privilege to demand things go their way, and their demands got out of hand enough times that people took notice and created a full-blown term for it. 

So, you know those women who say things like, “I demand to speak to your manager,” are racist, condescending, overreactive, or even wear a specific bob. 

You might wonder exactly why this name chosen for this meme. Well, the thing is, within this stereotype, these women, as mentioned, are frequently middle-aged, meaning that they were born on or a little after the year's name was very popular. That means that, often enough, they’re called Karen, and so it stuck. 

The unfortunate year for the name was 2020 when this term started taking off. The catalyst was the Central Park birdwatching incident when a woman called the police due to a disagreement over the requirement for her dog to be leashed in an area of the park. It was discussed a lot in the media, starting discussions about entitled women—and soon after, netizens found a name for it. 

Granted, this sole incident wasn’t the only one that popped up in the news at the time—quite a few of them did, and that’s why cybercitizens were so eager to make it an online phenomenon. And it wasn’t only them —The Guardian called 2020 “the year of Karen.” Basically, a high-level publication approved the term. 

That doesn’t mean it went through unscathed, however. Some people pointed out that this meme was rather sexist and ageist. After all, there was no masculine equivalent for it. So, netizens wouldn’t be netizens if they didn’t take this as a challenge—they started to look for a name that could be applied to men who act the same way as Karens. 

Unfortunately, one specific name didn’t stick, only several choices. They include such names like Bob, Ken, or Chad (our favorite). Other people just refer to these men as “male Karens” instead. So, to each their own, we guess. Either way, the fact that these people are a menace to society stands, no matter how much fun we make of them. 

Have you ever encountered a Karen of any gender? Share your story with us in the comments!