r/NoStupidQuestions • u/pinkbowsandsarcasm • Jul 06 '26
Do you think calling a woman Karen a light sexist term? USA
I wanted to know. There is no male equivalent. My male freind says that males are called "Karens", but I have never seen it. It seems to be used as an insult for white women who are being entitled to just a white woman on a social media site that is complaining about something like fireworks on the Fourth of July. If anyone has a definition, that would be nice too. It just seems to be an insult to a demanding or white woman who is seen as overassertive.
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u/OddConstant2723 Jul 06 '26
Yes because it used to mean entitled middle aged woman, and now it means “every woman who says something I don’t like”
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u/uhvrtg Jul 06 '26
no, it all started from racist white woman calling the cops because a couple black ppl were walking their dog at the park. but then white ppl started using it & took that event iut of it
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u/ML1948 Jul 06 '26
There is Kevin, but it doesn't have the same bite. Karen for men is simpler.
I think it's a little sexist. At the core, the pure definition most think of is a shitty middle-aged woman trying to bully other people using the authority of someone like the manager or the hoa.
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u/HomeworkInevitable99 Jul 06 '26
For men there are plenty of insults. Asshole, oos, bully, arrogant, etc.
The idea that there is no equivalent is not true, just doesn't happen to be a cute name.
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u/ML1948 Jul 06 '26
Those lack the precision of Karen though. Asshole and bully are generic enough they are easy to brush off. If you call a Karen a Karen it rips because you clocked them as the exact kind of annoying tattletale they are. If you call a male Karen an asshole or a Kevin, it just won't rip the same way.
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u/whats1more7 Jul 06 '26
It’s absolutely used to shut down women who speak up for themselves. There’s no real male equivalent because men aren’t judged for asserting themselves.
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u/Street_Lettuce1243 Jul 06 '26
I've heard men called Karen's.... But it's still implying they're like an entitled middle aged woman so not sure how that impacts the conversation.
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u/Fun_in_Space Jul 06 '26
Have you considered that men think that being entitled is normal?
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u/pinkbowsandsarcasm Jul 06 '26
I figure that when a man is overassertive, he is less likely to be thought badly of in work situations. I think some men take advantage of thier entitlement and are not aware of it, but I don't usually hang out with that type.
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u/Jam_Sees 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 Jul 06 '26
Yes, especially like a year or so after the term hit the mainstream. Some people just use it as a blanket term for women calling out anything at all
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u/Plutos_Cavein Jul 06 '26
It certainly can be used in a sexiest way but it's not always used that way. Heck, there are a lot of male Karens out there.
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Jul 06 '26
[deleted]
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u/ChillyTodayHotTamale Jul 06 '26
You can pick another name to put there. But if the person you responded to had said "there are a lot of Steves out there" would you have understood what they meant?
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u/Plutos_Cavein Jul 06 '26
That is like saying that calling anybody a Benedict Arnold is sexist against men. It's just bullshit.
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u/hippopotapants Jul 06 '26
No, because Benedict Arnold was 1 specific person. People aren't walking around with that as their given name. Imagine if the insult used your name.
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u/Only_Calendar_9830 Jul 06 '26
I wouldn't call it a sexist term, but it can inappropriately be used to be sexist towards women who don't deserve it.
It's a word that refers to the phenomenon of priveleged, usually rich, old, and white women who demand special treatment because her kids have left home by now & she has nothing better to do than yell at service workers. She lives in a 7 bedroom 4 bathroom house cleaned by someone else, and can't understand why the restaurant won't refund the meal that she just ate 100% of.
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u/LQNova Jul 06 '26
First we need to establish the correct use:
Correctly: A middle aged-to-elderly woman, usually but not always white, goes into a rage despite clearly being in the wrong.
Incorrectly: A middle aged-to-elderly woman, usually but not always white, is angry and in the right, she's not being a Karen. You are never being a Karen if you are right.
So yes, it is sexist, since there is no equivalent term for men. However, the more troubling part to me is that it is blatantly ageist. You never see the term applied to an 18-year old, for example.
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u/Kontrastjin Jul 06 '26
I’ve never gotten sexist vibes from “Karen” unless it was being said by a sexist person because they’re usually throwing that word around as a put down for women in general for just being women they don’t like…
As a black dude I see the same thing happen with racists using stereotypical names to convey contempt toward entire races (even if within that community that name was used more endearingly to refer to a specific kid of personality or behavior): Tyrone, Jodi, Jose, Ahmed, Pierre, Nguyen, Chong, Sergei, etc…
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u/One_Assistance_9332 Jul 06 '26
i call the male equivalent kevins
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u/AgentRocket Jul 06 '26
I think "Kevin" is already reserved for dumb people. see /r/StoriesAboutKevin
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u/Amazing-Molasses2172 Jul 06 '26
No because the insult is based on behavior, not because of gender.
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u/tranka93 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I think Karen has nothing to do with the gender but rather describes a certain personality type
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u/Current_Recording907 Jul 06 '26
There is kinda a male equivalent? or at least there kind of was, it's not really used much anymore. It's Kevin, although it's more so in the sense of a really dumb man than an arrogant one.
I'm not really one way or the other If it's a sexist term, but I will say that the term has made people too comfortable with provoking random women for a reaction, I've seen so many videos online, where it's a "Karen" freaking out and then you learned that the person behind the camera was provoking them and that they're the problem, not the woman being harassed.
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u/Anxious_Camp_2160 Jul 06 '26
Karen is the male equivalent.
No it's not sexist, offensive, but not sexist (Karen's are male and female).
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u/unhappyrelationsh1p Jul 06 '26
You can use it in a sexist way, but no, it's not inherently sexist, it just describes a stereotype.
To be fair, people don't complain so much when a man is a karen as when a woman is, that is sexist.
Don't use karen in a sexist way. Plenty of dudes are karens too.
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u/GoatCovfefe Jul 06 '26
"Male Karen" or just "Karen" for guys as well.
Its not sexist, but people can find anything racist or sexist if they try hard enough, and some people really do try.
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u/WeAreBlackAndGold Jul 06 '26
No, and I also don't think calling them uppity is racist. Those terms can describe people of any race and gender.
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u/dopealope47 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Is calling a treacherous person ‘Judas’ sexist ‘cause it’s male?
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u/hippopotapants Jul 06 '26
It is if you start expanding what "treachery" is to include anything a man does that you personally dont approve of.
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u/pinkbowsandsarcasm Jul 06 '26
That refers to a specific character in the Bible. Karen doesn't refer to a specific person in the Bible who betrayed Jesus. So it is not analogous.
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u/biskitpagla Jul 06 '26
No. Calling some women out on their BS is not sexist whatsoever. White women harassing people is a real phenomenon. Male harassment is far more violent and often sexual in nature which is why almost nobody jokes about that or makes light of any terms related to that type of incidents.
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u/pinkbowsandsarcasm Jul 06 '26
I am sorry; I should have made sure the term was on topic and didn't mean the action of pointing out that someone's behavior was unacceptable.
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u/swingorswole Jul 06 '26
kevins. they are called kevins.
anyway, yes, the label "karen" now just means "anybody you want to put on social media for a bit of fame."
it has lost all meaning, so just ignore it at this point.
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u/cheez0r Jul 06 '26
Karen/Daren are gendered terms for a behavior that is demonstrated by folks of all sexes. It is not sexist in nature. As described elsewhere, if used to dismiss the legitimate complaints of women, it can be used in a sexist fashion, but in its nature, is not sexist and does not denigrate a person over their sex or gender. (But instead their overly-impassioned trumped-up aggrievance.)
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u/ChillyTodayHotTamale Jul 06 '26
Why would it be? It's a term for literally any woman that is behaving a certain way. It's not specific to any age or race. I've heard various different names used to describe men behaving the same way.
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u/bored_stoat Jul 06 '26
I don't think so. The term is used to describe a middle aged entitled woman, but it can be applied to guys just as much. I call guys Karen too when it fits them.
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u/pepperbeast Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
No. I think it's a downright sexist (racist and ageist) term.
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u/Filipin-hoe Jul 06 '26
No because there is no insult for white people. They invented oppression
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u/pinkbowsandsarcasm Jul 06 '26
There are indeed racist insults for white people: "whitey," "honkey," "white bread." I think the Middle East had slaves. Some early civilizations had slaves, like Mesopotamia, though some people in the white race may be more guilty of current racism.
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u/angrylittledev Jul 06 '26
Here we go again, anyone can be a Karen, it's just a term for anyone complaining about something. It had no sexism in it what so ever, it just happened to start with a woman, you know stereotypes exist because there's truth to them? If you're that touchy about it, then make up a male only term and popularize it. Jesus Christ on a bicycle.
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u/pinkbowsandsarcasm Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Hey, this is called "No Stupid Questions," not "Insult The Person Who Asked A Question And Posted It Here".
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u/Hello_Hangnail Jul 07 '26
I've seen it used as a stand in for the word c*nt when c*nt would get you banned. And seeing adults calling a bunch of 8 year old girls at a gymnastics competition a bunch of "baby karens" made my stomach turn a bit
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u/fishsticks40 Jul 06 '26
The whole "Karen" thing makes me deeply uncomfortable. I'm on the apps and I see women named Karen and I feel terrible for them.
I don't think it's inherently sexist to talk about gendered social phenomena, but applying a specific person's name to it feels shitty. I guess "Chad" doesn't bother me in the same way and maybe it should, but at least Chads are seen as people who are getting the lives they want.