In the U.S., the use of the name Karen has become a common epithet signifying white privilege, wounded white privilege, and more specifically wounded female white privilege, attaching to a woman whose claims of entitlement draw mockery and criticism to her.

As a name for newborns, Karen peaked as third in popularity in 1965. This means that there is a large population of Karens in the U.S. who are in their mid-fifties now.

Do you know anyone with the given name Karen who, as a reaction against this stereotyping of her name as obnoxious, bossy, and aggrieved, has chosen to adopt a new name or use, say, a middle name to avoid the jokes and wisecracks that are bound to come her way?

If you can see it, there’s an interesting article on the Karen phenomenon here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/t-magazine/white-women-karen.html

Topics: names, stereotypes, entitlement, privilege, white privilege, Karen