Karen and Other Personas from the Internet
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Have you been online recently? If you have been, you might have heard people talking about Karen.
Ask a member of Gen Z who Karen is, and an image pops into their head. It probably looks something like this:
Who Is Karen?
For Gen Z, “Karen” is likely someone in their parents’ generation, but there’s more to the persona. She’s entitled, demanding, and over the top. Her signature move is asking to speak to the manager and throwing a fit until she gets her way.
The spokesperson for the persona is Kate Gosselin, who is known as the mother on John and Kate Plus 8. Not only does she embody the attitude of Karen, but she has the look. Dyed blonde hair in a bob, always toting her kids around town, always the center of drama.
Living in a world centered around memes, it’s likely to hear the name Karen thrown around. If someone displays an act of entitlement then she becomes a Karen. Bonus points if she’s a woman aged 35+, but the demanding personality is the key to Karen’s personality.
While Karen may be the it girl right now, there are other personas that have become popular on the internet. There are the Beckys, Chads, and Felicias of the world, and they’re talked about all the time.
Who Is Becky?
If you were going to summarize Becky in one word, it would be “basic.” She’s more defined by her taste in music and the trends she follows than actual personality traits.
Right now Becky is probably sipping water from her Hydro Flask, watching TikTok on her iPhone, and obsessing over the new Justin Bieber album. While there isn’t a whole lot of depth to Becky, she does represent many of the things younger people are gushing over. She doesn’t create the trends, she just follows them.
Unlike Karen, Becky probably isn’t too aggressive. She’s well-intended and a bit naive. She also may be a bit uncultured, and it’s likely the slang term originated from the Sir-Mix-a-Lot song “Baby Got Back.” At the beginning of the track a girl can be heard saying “oh my God, Becky. Look at that butt.” It’s implied Becky is just following the trends here, not breaking the mold.
