Meet the Karens Trying to Reclaim Their Good Names

From Debby Downers to Negative Nancies, certain names have attracted unflattering second meanings over the years. And in the overwrought, delicate age of COVID-19, Karens have emerged as the latest scapegoat. 

The name has come a long way from its Scandinavian origins, when it was a derivative of Katherine that simply meant “pure”. These days it’s become more synonymous with an outdated, asymmetrical pixie bob cut reminiscent of early 2000s P!nk, along with a compulsive tendency to ask for the manager, combined with a general air of entitlement. 

Its first usage as a term for someone being unreasonably demanding is unclear, but linguists say it likely developed from a couple of different usages: the first from African-American…