Maybe you’ve seen them: the viral photos of women with long bangs that taper to a pixie cut in the back of their heads, with text about needing to “speak to the manager” emblazoned in the center of the image.
But the women in these photos aren’t often identified by name, in part because the people sharing the image have reassigned them one. The women in these memes are “Karens” — white women who act with entitlement in public while threatening others, often Black people. Originally, the stereotype drew attention to individuals who were rude to low-wage workers or demanded that managers resolve issues. More recently, the label expanded to encompass more threatening behaviors: A white woman who intentionally coughed on coffee shop patrons who asked her to wear a mask, for example, was labeled a Karen, as was a woman who called police on a Black birder who requested that she leash her dog.
