Karen is my name

[Squills]

Recently someone posted a photo of a hairstyle she was considering... apparently it is a 'Karen' hairstyle and people quickly voiced their disapproval, not so much of the actual hair style, but of the association with 'Karen'.

My name was Karen until I changed it earlier this year.

I felt increasingly hurt and upset when, on an almost daily basis, I'd read or watch someone being vile about my name.

I felt uncertain whether to make the change as I hoped given time it would all die down... but it hasn't. The deciding factor came when I saw someone carrying a placard stating 'We say Karen to be nice, what we mean is cunt'.

Changing my name was fairly easy but time consuming. It was worth the cost and the effort though as I feel relieved to be able to introduce myself without embarrassment. I didn't realise fully how badly it was affecting me until I made the change.

If you want to get an idea of how it feels to have your name dragged through the mud enter your name into the Empathy Generator in the link below.

karenismyname.org/renamer

When you consider how much thought parents give to naming their baby, think how they feel now their chosen name is now considered an insult on a par with the word cunt.

Offensive and mysoginistic.
Of the Karens I know:
White British
Black American
Black British
It's not even a typically white name.

I just used your link, and it really made me understand. I never liked the correlation anyway; it had gone a little too far. But seeing my own name there I completely understand why you’d want to change your name. I’m so sorry.

I have a common name which has been pulled up on a few memes as rhymes easily, but I will be honest I am glad it's not Karen. That makes me feel bad as I know a lovely and laid back Karen and it's really unfair that the name has been abused. It does seem to be linked with telling middle-aged women that they should be quiet and cannot have an opinion.

@Buttons294749

Offensive and mysoginistic. Of the Karens I know: White British Black American Black British It's not even a typically white name.

I agree. I would consider Karen a more working class name in U.K. too so classist as well. Hugely unpleasant in every way.

The name Karen is very common in generation X women and clearly many people feel many women of this generation behave in disturbing ways for whatever reason

Voicing an opinion is considered "disturbing" if you are female and even more so if you are over 40. It doesn't matter what the opinion is, you don't have a penis so you should shut up.

There are plenty of threads on here about the fact that women's behaviour in the workplace is perceived differently to men's - eg men are assertive, women are aggressive and this is just an extension of that. For example, when I was in my early 20s someone tried to push in front of me on a queue for a cashpoint. I said no and he told me I was a very aggressive young woman. Now I'd be an aggressive "Karen" for standing up for myself. That is the "disturbing" behaviour.

I know someone whose names is written Karen but pronounces it Car-ren. I don't know if that's a common thing, I've not come across it before, but I wondered if it's an attempt to distance herself from the Karen meme. She's probably about 40.

I know someone with that pronunciation. In her 50s. Lovely person

I know someone whose names is written Karen but pronounces it Car-ren. I don't know if that's a common thing, I've not come across it before, but I wondered if it's an attempt to distance herself from the Karen meme. She's probably about 40.

No, there are other pronunciations, I have one of them. I was named after someone else, who also has the same pronunciation.
A Swedish friend pronounces hers Car-en too.

I knew some South Africans 20 years ago who pronounced it like that

@igelkott2021

I know someone whose names is written Karen but pronounces it Car-ren. I don't know if that's a common thing, I've not come across it before, but I wondered if it's an attempt to distance herself from the Karen meme. She's probably about 40.

I also know someone who pronounces it that way too, shes from South Africa, though.

It's misogyny pure and simple. I went to an event and a young gay man asked my name after we'd been chatting for a while. When I said Karen, he said "Oh my God how awful for that's such an unfortunate name". So rude of him I didn't know about the Karen thing until then.. I felt really upset.