To think they call us Karen because they fear us

[InformEducateEntertain]

I absolutely hate the term Karen. It's pejorative and deeply unpleasant.

Middle aged women (of whom I am one and to whom the term is most generally applied) are bloody amazing. Putting us down for our don't give a f**k badass attitude and willingness to fight back strikes me as lazy categorisation.

I'd go as far to say that those who use it are scared by the knowledge that looking the menopause in the eye has given us the courage to have a voice at last.

AIBU?

Ageism and misogyny. Not fear.

It has become a term men and some women (sadly) use to put women down. It’s a deeply misogynistic misuse most of the time.

I agree with the OP. People don't like being called out on their poor behaviour, poor customer service skills, etc., so just default to the "Karen"! It's middle aged (and older) more mature women who are gaining the power/nerve to call out which is why those providing the crap service or behaving badly don't like it - they've been accustomed to people not calling them out and not criticising them.

In my small survey of 1 🤣 women can be as demanding and derogatory towards you as men in a service position, but then some women use the 'I'm not putting up with your bullshit and I'm using my voice to get what I want regardless of if it's actually reasonable or not, because I'm looking menopause in the eye etc etc'to justify it.

I hear you, because I'm also someone looking menopause in the eye, and I'm not putting up with your bullshit either, regardless of my job. Speak to me like shit and you're getting nothing. You're not using me as an outlet for your pent up frustration. I wouldn't call anyone a 'Karen' but I also have no problem addressing the behaviour and withdrawing from engaging with it.

Slag, fat, whore, slut, opinionated, bossy, shrew, cranky. Any more?

I call a couple of women Karen. Because it's their name and they are both lovely BTW.

Hysterical
Too sensitive
Crazy

A useful term?

Call out racism behaviour by calling out racist behaviour, not by buying into ageist, misogynistic slurs.

If you think it’s useful I’m guessing you are either in your 20s or 30s and have never been ignored or discriminated against because you’re the wrong side of 40.

Same. Though one of my Karen’s prefers Kaz.

Maybe back in 2015! But now it’s used for any woman who gets in the way of, usually men, doing what they want to do. Middle aged women, probably any woman over the age of about thirty 🙄, have long been gatekeepers of children and teenage girls too and I think that has a lot to do with it becoming such a popular insult. They don’t like pointless, older, non sexually attractive (to them!) women spoiling their fun. Any woman who uses it against another woman needs to think about that, it’s not just an amusing social media produced insult anymore. It has real weight.

So one woman did something wrong so now all women?

I dislike the term but depends on the context, putting the name itself aside . I think some people whine needlessly and cause a fuss because they've got nothing better to do and get a kick out of putting other people out. However, I see the term being used for people who complain over something that they have right to complain over such as substandard service or bad behaviour.

Yes! She is young. Thats why i am saying that my understanding of the term has nothing to do with age etc

Karen in my circle is for racist white women who use their white privilege to harm others.

If it has been co-opted then that is a different thing. And it has not been co-opted by black people - if it has, it has been co-opted by white men. Which is a whole other (misogynistic) story.

I'm a middle aged woman, but I'm also someone who spent many years working in customer service, and there were two demographics that produced the most unpleasant customers - middle-aged women and men in their seventies. I think in both cases their behaviour might have been to do with loss of status.

I call one if them "Kazbag" but it's a term of endearment because she is so very lovely.

I got called a Karen, I was pointing out that the smoking area was a separate area not where the young white male was sat. Karen was about the best of the threats and insults he threw at me. Who knew just objecting to smoke while eating made me a racist, you learn something new every day.

The origins were legit but its now just a way of bashing women who use their voice.

Read Hags by Victoria Smith

Yes I am. And I have never been called a Karen.

Why have middle aged women lost status then? Because of patriarchy!

The fact that some people use the term incorrectly doesn't make the term inappropriate. It's useful to call out specific types of behaviour.

Status as what???

Sex objects desirable to men for their fertility and physical features?

But it is much more than that now, it would be better to call out the behavior by the name of the behavior so call a racist a racist - why would Karen be better than racist?

Surely you just call out the behaviour. No need to use a gender based and pejorative statement.

So you’ll comfortably continue to use it then? Even though the meaning has evolved?

Or you could just verbalise the correct terms for those behaviours? Instead of appropriating a woman’s name?