Karenhood

English

Etymology

From Karen +‎ -hood

Noun

Karenhood (uncountable)

1. (informal) The condition of being a Karen ("a middle-aged white woman exhibiting a sense of entitlement or white privilege").

   Synonym: Karenicity

   • 2020 August 24, Luke Kenton, “Bizarre moment mask-less woman and her 'Karenette' daughter accuse passengers of racism as they are jeered and slow-clapped off Spirit Airlines flight”, in The Daily Mail‎^[1], archived from the original on 2022-04-26:

     The mother and daughter in Golembeskiz's clip have fallen victim to Karenhood on TikTok, a pejorative slang term for white women displaying unjustified public displays of anger or entitlement.

   • 2021 October 7, Nahila Bonfiglio, “'So you really going to post me on your TikTok': Cosmetics influencer exposes salty DMs from Karen customer”, in The Daily Dot‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-05-26:

     Some of @shiniquekosmetics' best videos veer away from body butter tasters and into genuine Karenhood, with several of her uploads detailing her conversations with irritating, entitled, or downright rude customers.

   • 2021 October 21, Jessie Daniels, quoting Minal Hajratwala, Nice White Ladies, Basic Books, →ISBN:

     Drawing a straight line from lynching picnics to Karenhood, Daniels deconstructs the tiny daily behaviors of 'nice white ladies' that create structural racism across the United States today.

   • 2022 April 21, Madeleine Holden, “The Spinoff: The rise and fall of 'Karen'”, in The New Zealand Herald‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-07-07:

     There were no obvious signs of Karenhood among the group, though: no inverted bobs with jarring blonde highlights, no telltale weirdness around the hut's nonwhite residents, no "I know it when I see it" vibes-based clues.

   • 2022 April 22, Resmaa Menakem, The Quaking of America, Central Recovery Press, →ISBN:

     Other white bodies simply leave, and I experience their Karenhood or Kevinhood later. They send me long, accusatory letters and e-mails, citing various authorities, walking me through a list of their own credentials (PhDs they've earned, conference presentation they've done, etc.), and letting me know how righteous and offended they are, and how abominable I and my colleagues are.