OPINION
I've been called a Karen.
It's not the worst name I've been called.
But those ones, I can't really write them here.
I laughed when a colleague read out the 'karen' comment on a Facebook post about the editorial I wrote on vehicles on the beach.
It read "Go back to your bubble wrapped, nanny state, townie life 'karen'. I've driven thousands of kilometers on beaches around NZ without incident."
Goodness me. The only response I have for that is I'm not a townie.
I went to school with quite a few girls named Karen, I work with one and I have a cousin named Karen.
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Advertise with NZME.All of them are great people, although the cuzzie can be annoying at times. (Just kidding Cuz Kaz.)
According to vox.com, calling someone a Karen is the younger equivalent to saying "Okay Boomer".
The "stereotype" for a Karen is apparently women in their 30s or 40s, who has multiple children and is blonde and - get this - "Karen has a "can I speak to the manager" haircut and a controlling, superior attitude to go along with it".
A speak to the manager haircut? Good grief - who makes this stuff up.
There have been multiple videos posted on social media of people ranting and raving at someone and the person filming has labelled them "a Karen or here's another Karen, Karen's off again".
Vox.com says "Karen" evolved into a figure known for her hypocrisy, rudeness toward working-class staff, and anti-science beliefs.
I've actually cringed at a couple of videos I've seen. People get upset for all sorts of reasons and there are people out there who just go off the deep end, yelling and screaming at someone for what most of us would think were trivial matters.
However, it's gone beyond that now. Whenever someone has an opinion that someone else doesn't agree with they get called a 'Karen'.
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That's okay though. If it makes someone feel better by calling me a Karen, I'll take one for the team. In fact I wouldn't mind being part Karen — the 30 to 40 years bit.
It's funny how the use of a name can change people's perception of it. Karen is a nice name but I bet there won't be any babies named Karen for a few years to come.
Just as fashion and haircuts go in and out of fashion, so too do names. Linda, for instance, was number three on the top baby name list in the year I was born.
And guess what, Karen was number four, Mary was at number one and Susan number two. Coming in fifth was Donna.
The top five boys names were, Michael, David, James, John and Robert.
Not one of the top five girls names from that year featured on the 2021 top five list and vice versa.
There's not a Karen or Linda in sight in 2021. Although at number six in 2021 is Charlotte, which was my grandmother's name.
I feel bad for the nice Karens out there. I think it's going to be off the top five list for a long time to come.
So for all you wonderful Karens out there, hold your head high and be proud to be Karen.
Failing that, change your name to Mary — although maybe not, there's just something about Mary that's a bit hair raising.
• Linda Hall Is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today
