Karencore

Sensitive Content Notice ⚠️

The following article contains and discusses content that may be distressing to some readers.
Reason for Warning: While the aesthetic itself isn't that bad, please note this aesthetic touches on bigotry, in which may offend some people.

Karencore is a joke aesthetic that involves memes and parody cosplay of Karens, which is a term for white, middle-aged, blonde woman (usually with children) who "make mountains out of molehills" (e.g rudely asking to see a manager after an employee messed up their child's meal at a restaurant) and act irrationally when a something is not going their way. It is said they will often out-rule the fact that one of their offspring said or did something inappropriate, just because it is her "precious angel".

Fashion, Hair, and Makeup[]

The most recognizable trait of a Karen (other than their entitled attitude) is their haircut. The most common haircut among the Karen community is the infamous a-symmetrical bob, usually swept to the left side of their face left natural or with harshly dyed blonde highlights (often described as a "reverse mullet"). The hairstyle is known for looking like something you'd find in either Emo or Scene, but with more blonde highlights that just screams "I demand to speak with your manager". The Karen fashion used in parodies and aesthetics tends to be very tacky, low-quality, and overpriced and is strictly worn for the sake of selling whatever pyramid scheme they may or may not have gotten wrapped up in, especially if they're involved in a make-up based MLM (Mary Kay, Avon, Younique), or a clothing/accessories based MLM (LuLaRoe, Paparazzi).

A meme online is that Karens bathe themselves in essential oils in place of things like deodorant, soap-and-water, or any other hygiene products. Boss Babe, or Karen, fashion can often take from the Baddie aesthetic as well, but while the Baddie exudes an aura of confidence and sex appeal, Boss Babes often wind up coming off as incredibly pathetic and like they're going through something like a mid-life crisis even though a lot of these MLM companies are recruiting them younger and younger (some stories even claim they're getting recruited while in high school).

Karen makeup is also heavily influenced by makeup in the early-mid 2010s, but mainly consist of natural looks. Smokey eyes, light blush, and pink eyeshadow are sometimes seen as well.

Related Brands[]

Attitude[]

Karens have a tendency to believe they are above everything and are always right, even if they believe in foolish things like anti-vaccine propaganda, flat earth theories, religiousness to the point of fanaticism or believing they are a god (if you see these MLM conferences they tend to go to, it's easy to see how they can get wrapped up in these schemes) or strange forms of spirituality (which can lead to some crossover with the New Age aesthetic, unfortunately), and no matter what they will have a tendency to demand to speak to any establishment's manager, be very health-conscious (especially if they're involved in health food-based MLMs), and/or use an obscene amount of emojis in their messages and posts in a desperate attempt to appear "hip" and "with the trends". They are obsessed with the pursuit of wealth and status, so they subscribe to this "fake it 'til you make it" mentality, but the fact is the vast majority of people who get involved in MLMs usually wind up failing miserably; legit, you have a better chance of striking it rich gambling than you do getting involved in one of these schemes. They will do anything to sell their wares, including lying about the quality or the benefits of using their products. This often leads to them getting reported to the authorities.

Boss Babe Businesses[]

AntiMLM_@HunBotComics_Edition — AntiMLM @HunBotComics Edition

Hunbot Comics is a funny ongoing webcomic series on Instagram if you want to check it out for a laugh or two.

Here is a list of MLM companies to keep an eye out for that will often employ these #BossBabes into their ranks (Its highly ill advised to link these sites). It should be noted this page is here to serve as a warning just in case you encounter people who showcase this aesthetic as their own and to choose your interactions with them very carefully.

The fine folks at the Anti-MLM Coalition have provided you a list of MLMs here to help you keep an eye out for, just in case if you see these out in the wild.

Music

A Thousand Miles-Vanessa Carlton
Hey There Delilah-Plain White Tee's
Hey Soul Sister-Train
Riptide-Vance Joy
Dirt Road Anthem-Jason Aldean
Kidz Bop 2020

Spotify playlists for a Karen to Harass Managers & Rock Her Business To[]

Boss Babe Spotify playlist by Flex it Pink

The Karen Discourse[]

As the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing and businesses were shutting down in compliance with regulations designed to prevent the virus from spreading, the Karens finally discovered the internet as a whole was venting and making fun of their behavior. In true Karen fashion, they flipped out and attempted to compare calling them "Karens" to people calling black people the n-word and was taken to the Digital Supreme Court.

In Karen v. The Internet, the Karens attempted to claim that calling them "Karens" was sexist (much like how the baby boomers attempted to claim calling people "Boomers" was ageist when the term "OK Boomer" first started popping up on the internet), but Judge Twitter ultimately ruled in favor of the internet, with the logic being "If you are comparing two words as being slurs and you can't say one of them, that word is the worst word". The Karens are no doubt pitching a fit and trying to look for the manager of the internet, but this has not slowed down referring to them as "Karens". Hilariously, since the Karen meme first started gaining traction, fewer and fewer parents are naming their kids "Karen".