Gen Z have decided what the male ‘Karen’ is - bad luck if this is your name
It's a pretty common moniker indeed
Featured Image Credit: ChatGPT
Topics: Gen Z, Life, Social Media, Explained
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Gen Z, Life, Social Media, Explained
If you've been on the internet for even a fleeting moment over the past few years, chances are, you'll have come across the term 'Karen'.
In case you need your internet slang lingo refreshed, a 'Karen' is basically a one-size-fits-all mode of address used mostly towards middle-aged women who are rude, obnoxious or disrespectful to retail workers, service staff and just about anyone else who crosses their path.
In short, a 'Karen' is a total pain in the a*se, famous for 'Karenisms' including, 'I want to speak to the manager', 'Why are you walking in this neighbourhood?' and 'I'm a paying customer'.
The general idea on social media is that what makes you a 'Karen' is being arrogant, entitled, racist, problematic, as well as sporting a stereotypical short haircut, chunky highlights and huge sunglasses to pair.
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That OG definition, which cropped up on Reddit around 2018, has since evolved with the accepted 'Karen criteria' being less about age and looks and more about your overall vibe - hence why Gen Z has coined their very own name to use for someone who fits the bill in their age category.
Yep, the Gen Z version of a 'Karen' is apparently a 'Jessica' - but what's the male version of this?
Now, while for many 'Karen' can be a gender-neutral term used for both men and women who exhibit 'Karen-like' behaviour', we often don't see male 'Karens' demonised online in the same way as their female counterparts.
A few years back in 2020, Dr Apryl Williams, an assistant professor at University of Michigan and Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, who broadly studies race on the Internet, told Fatherly that the names 'Greg' and 'Terry' would occasionally pop up in memes trying to find the name for the male 'Karen'.
But one of the most popular picks, according to the expert, was 'Ken'.
But 2023 changed that, given Ryan Gosling's iconic portrayal of Ken in Barbie alongside Margot Robbie, which sparked a whole 'Kenaissance' with people hyped on 'Kenergy' and proudly declaring themselves as being 'Kenough'.
Luckily, Pedestrian reported that Trustpilot had compiled a list of the names who made the most complaints on the review site, and it turns out that top of the bunch was 'David' - giving us a brand-new male counterpart to 'Karen'.
The data suggested that Davids had left more one-star reviews than any other name. Also, to turn the stereotype on its head completely, it turns out that the major complainers were almost all men.
Out of the top 10 names to complain when leaving a review, only one woman's name made an appearance, Sarah, and she only took spot number seven.
It wasn't until number 14 that you'd see the next woman's name, Emma, suggesting that men are the bigger complainers (in this study), and David is the one most likely to moan.
While that's all very interesting, it may take some time for 'David' to catch on - giving just how endemic 'Karen' is when it comes to internet meme culture.