“Karen” is a misogynist term.

[Bleuuuughhh]

i just would like to get an idea of how other women feel about this term.

It seems deeply unfair there is no equivalent term for badly behaved men. In my eyes, the phase appears to be a new insult to add the huge list women have had add to put up with through the ages.

Women being sexually active is now more acceptable so the terms “Jezebel”, “slag” are not used as widely. Similarly there is an aging population “crone” and “witch” aren’t acceptable . Now a woman who complains, or doesn’t tow the party time is called a “Karen”.

Has anything really actually changed at all?

Absolutely. I had to call out my teen who was using it.

Ageism is the only ism that is acceptable, nay, encouraged these days.
While we won’t all be gay, mis gendered, male or female, brown, Muslim etc etc in our lifetime, if we are lucky we will be old, yet the elderly in the West are figures of fun and scorn. No respect whatsoever.

I hate the term, 'Mummy's boy' for any man that has a relationship with his parents. It is a favourite term of abuse on MN.
If a man objects to his MIL being at his house all the time he is described as controlling. If he wants to see his own parents regularly he is described as a 'Mummy's boy'.
Ditto the over used term Disney Dad used by a lot of step mothers/ mothers on MN for male partners who want a close relationship with his children.

Ageism is completely accepted on MN. Anyone over 60 who behaves in a way an OP doesn't like is dismissed as being demented.

Don't forget about the wildly over used 'Narc' as a term of abuse. It is thrown about and directed at everyone by some posters on MN

I also feel sad that so much venom on MN is directed at MILS, SILS and step daughters. A lot of it is sexism and in the case of MILS, it is ageism.

I agree op.
I don’t think it started that way. I do think it started as a reference to a common attitude that exists amongst some white/middle class/women. However it seems to have morphed into a term that is Thrown at any woman over 35 who dares to have an opinion or stand up to anyone. Often these viral videos of Karen’s (like other viral videos) have very little context.

I’ve seen a lot of shit comments about young female police officers on SM rceently too. Word like “sassy” being used to describe behaviour that in males wouldn’t be commented on.

Of course its misogynistic, sexist, ageist. It's used to shut women up. Anyone using the name as an insult should be ashamed of themselves.

"It seems deeply unfair there is no equivalent term for badly behaved men."
Why would there need to be a male equivalent? Why wouldn't you prefer that there was no male or female shitty insult and people spoke to each other with respect?

Karen is such a lovely name. Every Karen I have known has been a wonderful woman. Anyone using this name as an insult should consider how humiliated they would feel if their own name suddenly started to be used to humiliate others.

I hate it and often have to pull my DC up on it (also their lovely aunty is called Karen which makes it worse.

As people say it's an east way to belittle women and get them to shut up.

The first time I ever heard the term was years and years ago in connection with that “let me speak to the manager” meme about the terrible bob haircut. I think that was a long time before any “racist white American woman, so that’s okay” connection.

I have been wondering if there’s an equivalent male term. Maybe Gammon?

I agree OP. I know it started to call out racism in that specific way but I have never heard it used that way. It’s always used to criticise an older woman raising her voice.

Its hateful. And no there is no male equivalent.

You need to understand that this is a British website operating in Britain with a large majority of British women on here, and what you said originally had some very disgusting overtones of racism itself. Frankly it sounded like the narratives I’ve heard suggesting white women cannot now complain of any sexual harassment from black men without being called racist, effectively giving black men a free pass in a time when men have literally been known to get away with the murder of women. Which I’m sure wasn’t what you had in mind?

Britain is not America and the extent of racism over there - segregation within living memory ffs - sometimes requires a reminder.

There’s a growing problem with American terms and politics spreading into Britain as if they have the same meaning here, of which ‘Karen’ may be another one?

It could be seen as misogynist in that it describes women, or a woman behaving in a certain way, but I don't agree that it's a "woman, know your place thing" more a "you're behaving inappropriately and making a bit of a tit of yourself"

There are derogatory terms out there that are used for both genders and, uncomfortable truth for MN, even for males!

It’s absolutely right to call out racist behaviour.

It’s not OK to lazily use a woman’s name as a euphemism for racist behaviour.

It’s not OK to use a woman’s name as a slur to shut up middle aged women who stand up for themselves.

I hate it
My cousin’s son went to a fancy dress party as a ‘Karen’ and I hated it but it was very fitting for him as a sexist idiot tbh so it only cemented my thoughts around its use.

Kevin. It's the male equivalent but not used anywhere near as often.

Interesting that fake 'karen' videos keep popping up on my FB and Insta feeds. A few of them are clearly created by/financed by the oil/climate change denier community as they feature 'entitled Karens' berating people in a maniacal way for having huge SUVs, or using their car charging points. It's a sly way to hit a double whammy of women haters and climate change denial in one hit. SM is a fucking shit show sometimes.

So easy to dismiss what someone is saying by using

"and then, some Karen said......." I've heard it used by men and woman and the "Karen" is always middle aged and saying something the speaker disagrees with.
I always try to pull people up on it, but they rarely get it.

I’ve just been trying to Google the origin of the term and have come across a whole host of sites selling “fun” Karen t-shirts and other paraphernalia for all your hilarious needs.

There is a young white female trainer I follow on Instagram who in some weird bid to be relatable calls out perceived “Karen” behaviour on and off, totally misogynistic nothing to do with its legitimate origins, largely alienating her prospective clientele, not noticing how lots of other trainers are increasing followers but hers stay stubbornly at the same low level. It is completely internalised misogyny on her part, not to do with the origins of the “Karen”. I think like any female slur it has ended up becoming misogynistic. I absolutely hate it now even though I recognise its origins.

And that misogyny is such a deep part of our society that a lot of the time people can't recognise it for what it is.

@ApolloandDaphne same. its my name and I detest its use in this way. It makes me feel embarrassed when Im asked my name in certain circumstances.

And I feel so disappointed if I ever hear someone I follow online for my line of work - insta, youtube, use the term. And yet, I would not feel comfortable calling them out because thats even more of a joke isnt it for them.

Exactly this. It’s yet another example of words being taken outside of the community that was originally using it (in a very specific context), the word being misused and therefore the meaning and the general premise changing. (And don’t even get me started on bloody ‘Karen’s Diner’!)

I’m not expecting the majority of MNers to understand the term or why it came into use in the first place. I appreciate that it’s been co-opted and misused by others so much that it’s lost its meaning now, but it’s really just a linguistic equivalent of cultural appropriation gone wrong. It’s not every day “take take take” from other communities. Lesson learnt, I guess? (I doubt!)

This is so far from correct.