![]() As I previously reported, there’s a direct connection between the meme and a jokingly misogynistic subreddit formed in 2017 to poke fun at someone’s fictional, stereotypically bossy ex-wife named Karen. The origin of the Karen meme is nebulous. The coronavirus Karen has always been with us, but never quite as visibly While the meme’s meaning was still somewhat malleable during the first months of the pandemic, the national conversation around Black Lives Matter protests rapidly changed what many people meant by “Karen.” As the protests continue and political debate rages on, the Karen’s newly evolved association with white supremacy shows no sign of loosening, nor does the meme look like it will revert to its original, mostly innocuous form.Īnd now, we need to talk about Karen. Karen: The anti-vaxxer soccer mom with speak-to-the-manager hair, explainedĮach iteration of the meme has taken the “Karen” figure in a considerably different direction from its original satirical form - a barbed but humorous caricature of entitled white women. Swiftly and with perhaps utter finality, the Karen has become a searing symbol of white supremacy and a stand-in for 2020’s intense, racially charged debate over human rights. Then, with the rise of nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, what it means to be “a Karen” took on even more sober implications. Throughout the spring, calling someone a “Karen” morphed from a jab at someone’s self-absorption into a shorthand for social policing around Covid-19. As it continued gaining popularity, however, it abruptly became a lot less funny and a lot more pointed. When we first dissected the Karen meme in early February, it was seen as a giant joke. Now, “Karen” is a stand-in for 2020’s fraught social politics. The name “Karen” has subsequently become virtually synonymous with more than just annoyed moms. Over the past few months, the “Karen” meme that started out as mocking a fairly specific brand of white woman - an anti-vaxxer mom with an entitlement complex and “can I speak to the manager” hair - has undergone several rapid transitions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |