Woman stands up against WA Premier over Karen meme

It seemed like a harmless social media post from the WA Premier but one woman was really hurt by it.

It seemed like a harmless social media post to announce there had been no babies named Karen born in Western Australia in 2023 — but one woman has said it was anything but.

WA Premier Roger Cook took to Instagram to announce that the name Karen — which since the pandemic has been used to describe entitled middle-age women — had fallen out of popularity.

The artwork of the little baby in the post had the signature lopsided blonde bob associated with the Karen stereotype and popular meme.

“Last year there wasn’t a single baby in the whole of WA named Karen. I think it’s a travesty, in fact, I’d like to talk to the manager,” Mr Cook captioned the image.

Western Australia's Premier posted this on Instagram. Picture: Roger Cook/Instagram

But Western Australian resident Karen Windsor, 37, said she’s had enough of people making a mockery of her name.

“I don’t think that people realise quite the impact it has on somebody to see a joke about their name appearing everywhere,” Mrs Windsor told news.com.au.

She said there are constant social media posts and comment sections that make her name the butt of the joke, podcast hosts declaring they “don’t want to be a Karen” when making a complaint and she has even heard it tossed around in her work spaces. Then, there were places such as Karen’s Diner — a restaurant in Sydney where staff were deliberately rude to customers.

Mrs Windsor said she even hesitates to give her name when she orders takeaway coffee due to the reaction it gets. It has reached the point where she wonders if it will impact job prospects.

Mrs Windsor and her daughter, who she is teaching not to judge people. Picture: Supplied

“People don’t realise they’ve said it and while you brush it off at the time, I think it is just when you realise it appears in all aspects of your life that you go, ‘Actually, this is no longer, no longer okay’,” she said.

“And I think that seeing Roger Cook say that throwaway line, like it meant nothing, but in fact, it’s actually quite insulting to all the Karens of the world.

“It just feels like that point in time when you’ve got a an elected member of parliament who’s making jokes about a group of people that live in a state he’s meant to be a leader and ambassador for that enough is enough.”

She said comments such as Mr Cook’s “alienates, belittles and insults” an entire community, particularly when no woman she has ever met named Karen falls into the stereotype.

Mr Cook’s office declined to comment when approached by news.com.au.

Karen Windsor is standing up for women named Karen after the post. Picture: Rebecca Mercia Photography

“I just really wanted to reflect and start raising that awareness that actually no it is hurtful — and if you were talking about somebody’s race in the same way that you were talking about somebody’s name, goodness, like that would be a serious problem for sure.”

She said she wasn’t comparing the two but it made her think about the prejudice forming around the name and the impact it has.

“I’m a strong woman. I brush it off and just go, ‘No, I know that it’s not about me personally’, because I know that I do not fit this stereotype at all,” she said.

Mrs Windsor said people shouldn't be mocked for their name. Picture: Colour Pop Studio

“But equally, I am also the mother of a daughter, and I am trying to role model for her that you don’t tease people and make fun of them for sure, their age, their height, their name, their weight there, or any other reason.

“It made me realise that it’s not OK to be talking about Karens this way anymore.”

She said we’ve grown sensitive in so many areas and this needs to be one of them.

Mrs Windsor joked that she does understand that speaking out on this topic does make her seem like she fits the stereotype, but in reality she is just standing up for not only herself but those like her.