When a woman raises concern, she is weak-minded.
When a woman expresses her opinion, she is a know-it-all.
When a woman questions something, she is bothersome.
When a woman shows aggression, she is a “b*tch.”
When a woman shows leadership, she is bossy.
When a woman asks for a favor, she is entitled.
When a woman has a mental breakdown, she is delusional, irrational, unreasonable, and intrusive.
Defining a woman in one dimension, when they have so many layers, is the significant gap in gender equality.
The testament to this can be observed during the pandemic when a new epidemic emerged called the “Karen phenomenon.” This condition can be defined as: when an individual lodges an illogical complaint, or intrudes the private space, or gets aggressive towards people of color, and sometimes spews racist remarks at them.
But one significant qualifier for this phenomenon is that the individual acting such should be a woman…. specifically a white woman.
The year 2020 seemed like a video library of complaining women captured live, being aggressively dramatic, and making racist claims. Comment below any of the first Karen moments you remember. At one point, a Karen called the authorities on an 8-year-old for having a lemonade stand.
The reputation of a Karen spiraled to new lows every time a new incident emerged. And the netizens would have a field day roasting her. Those were the lockdown days when we, the people, joined forces against the Karen phenomenon with memes, roast battles, getting Karens fired, and sometimes even doxing or invading their privacy.
On the flip side of the situation, people were getting high on these situations; they wanted more and sometimes even wished they had a first-hand experience of Karen so they could record it and go viral. As a result, the blurred lines between a Karen and a white woman led to an unhealthy stereotype.
One such case has resurfaced from 2021. Presenting the infamous case of Karen’s Secret, or Victoria’s Secret Karen.
Round 1 (Year 2021): Ijeoma Ukenta, an African-American woman, was browsing through the Victoria’s Secret outlet in a mall. She noticed an unfamiliar presence, too close to her personal radar. She turned around and saw a white woman in extreme proximity to her. She confronted the woman, and an altercation ensued.
Ukenta whipped out her phone and started recording her. The white woman asked her not to film her, and she crouched on the floor and begged her to stop recording.
Ukenta asked the outlet’s employees to do something about the woman encroaching on her personal space, but according to her, they did not take legible actions.
Ukenta then uploaded the video across all her social platforms, which went viral on her YouTube channel’ Mama Africa Muslimah,’ which has over 26.1 Million subscribers. People soon criticized the woman for he behavior and demanded that she should be fired from her job.
Round 2 (Year 2023): On July 6, Ukenta filed a lawsuit against what people deemed her as “Victoria’s Secret Karen” and the store’s security guards, claiming that they “were extremely dismissive toward her,” and “indifferent and nonchalant about her concerns for her safety.”
But now the woman has come forward with her side of the story.
Meet 27-year-old Abigail Elphick, who lives in Milburn, N.J. The Times has reported that Elphick was living in a residential complex reserved for people suffering from “intellectual and developmental disabilities.” Tom Toronto, the president of Bergen County’s United Way, where Abigail lives, has stated that she had a “long history of medical and psychological conditions.” According to Elphick, she was having a mental breakdown as the events transpired two years ago. She has now counterclaimed that Ijeoma subjected her to “Harassment” for exhibiting their altercation online.
What Happened to Abigail Elphick?
Abigail Elphick was 25 years old when she was titled Victoria’s Secret Karen. Some sources suggested she was a teacher’s aide at Cedar Grove in Newark, New Jersey. However, the institute has denied having any such employee.
Other news outlets reported that she enrolled to study “Child Development Associate” who teaches preschool students.
Tom Toronto further elaborated in an interview with the Times, stating that Abigail “has a disorder.” he said– “She has anxiety. She had a meltdown. Then the world we live in took over, and it became something entirely different from what it actually was.”
After this revelation, the tides shifted in Abigail’s favor, and some netizens accused Ukenta of profiting by exploiting someone’s privacy. Ukenta had earlier launched a GoFundMe page titled “Help Me Defend Myself Against Karen” after the video went viral. It has accumulated over $104,000 since then.
Ukenta’s lawyers counter-argued that she was compelled to film the video because their client was “keenly aware that if the police were called, she, a Black woman, may not be believed. It’s her right. She has a right to let the public know what happened to her.”
The Ambiguity of Karen Phenomenon
This case has raised valid concerns about social media trials and how we view white women. Statistically, men acting in these circumstances wouldn’t have faced any flak. In fact, there is hardly any term for a male version of Karen, even though there have been several racist incidents.
This point does not imply that the racist women are in the right. But if you read between the lines, now anyone can deem a white woman to be Karen in minor inconveniences.
We as a society judge these women without knowing both sides of the story. And instead of perpetuating this harmful stereotype, we must evaluate before hating on them.
One of the recent cases has been the CitiBike Karen-read the story here and tell us your verdict.
Another case is Vibiana Molina, who trespassed into someone’s house.
What is your verdict on the case? Do you think Ukenta was right to keep recording? Do you believe Abigail’s story? Let us know in the comments section below.
