Where did “Karen” or “Cat Karen” come from?

The beginnings and how it has evolved: From “May I speak to the manager? Karen” to Cat and from Cat to “La Karen” or “Cat Karen”

At first, "Karen" was used to describe a middle-aged woman, who believed herself to have more rights than others and who is often confrontative, usually portrayed as making irrational demands or complaints, especially in customer service places. Surely, you've seen the typical "Karen" with her short and blonde hair demanding to talk to the manager; "May I speak to the Manager?"

Then, almost at the same time, appeared the meme of "The Cat Karen" or "Cat Karen" with an image that became viral in 2019. This meme continued to evolve and had several interpretations and adaptations that led to what we popularly call "The Karen" today.

First, Karen's stereotype was applied to the behavioral characteristics of cats, imagining what it would be like if a cat showed the same demanding attitude as a Karen.

For example, a cat demands gourmet food, asks for constant attention or let's know its dissatisfaction with something. These exaggerated representations serve as a playful exploration of the relationship between humans and their cat companions, finding similarities between the behavior of demanding people and the personalities of pets.

As a result of the different memes of cats addressing their “Karen” emerges a new interpretation that is the human called “The Karen”. This archetype is the human guardian of the cat to which he constantly supplies excessive love that is not always reciprocal and deviates by meeting all the demands of his cat resulting overwhelming.

Conclusion: We are all “Karen”

In the changing world of internet culture, the emergence of the "Cat Karen" phenomenon shows the ingenious creativity and humor of online communities. So much so that now it is common to call “Karens” the overly lovers of animals, suggesting that they do not always need excessive love, so these expressions do not reciprocate. A concept similar to the famous “Elvira” of the “Looney Tunes” that became quite popular in the 1990s.

So, the next time they call you a "Karen" is because you're probably shedding excessive love on some animal. And if you're like me, it's quite possible that you were also called Elvira before.

Share this Blog with a “Karen” you know.

Follow me on Instagram: Yari Adorno aka La Karen Boricua (@soylakarenboricua) • Instagram photos and videos