This Karen Halloween costume is receiving backlash for "profiting from racism"

7 October 2021, 16:27

Kim Kardashian dons Tiger King dress up for Halloween

By Jazmin Duribe

"Absolutely nothing funny about a whole species of people that put Black people in danger of losing their lives with a simple phone call."

It's officially spooky season which means we need to brace ourselves for all the tone-deaf Halloween costumes which will be coming our way. Case in point, a questionable Karen Halloween costume which has gone viral.

In case you didn't know, the term "Karen" was coined by Black people and is used to describe an "obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviours", Dictonary.com reports.

Karens are known for having short, blonde 'Can I speak to the manager?' haircuts and they have no trouble voicing their concerns. The term reached peak popularity in 2020 when multiple white women (and men) were caught reporting Black people to the police for no reason in viral videos.

This Karen Halloween costume is receiving backlash for "profiting from racism". Picture: @thecroakerqueen via Twitter, Pop

Now, an offensive Karen costume is going viral. The costume, which is made by a brand called Spirit, includes a blonde wig and a pair of sunglasses. The original tweet didn't say where the costume was being sold but a quick Google search reveals similar costumes in online fancy dress stores and on Amazon.

People are now accusing the creators of the costume of profiting from the very real issue of racism. One user commented: "I don’t like how they’re profiting from the very real issue of racism." And another tweeted: "This is super wack. Absolutely nothing funny about a whole species of people that put Black people in danger of losing their lives with a simple phone call. I hate it here.."

I don’t like how they’re profiting from the very real issue of racism. https://t.co/bEKsZD3bTj
— Andrew (@AsAndrewSpeaks) October 3, 2021

The trivialisation (and now commercialisation) of the euphemism of “Karen” is something that’s allowing more and more cognitive dissonance to spread and lack of acknowledgment of the harm that happens in real time to minorities because of a “Karen” in real life. https://t.co/P9hv2UBXSM
— Nicolas-Tyrell Scott (@iamntyrell) October 3, 2021

see how the term “karen” allowed yt women to separate themselves from.. nvm https://t.co/m8vQNbzTTI
— Big Nik 🌈🇯🇲 (@NikTeezy) October 3, 2021

This is super wack. Absolutely nothing funny about a whole species of people that put Black people in danger of losing their lives with a simple phone call. 🙅🏾‍♀️ I hate it here.
— Bisquiteen Trisket (@nnekawith2ns) October 3, 2021

this is the logical conclusion to follow 3+ years of people refusing to explicitly call white women racist and turning their racism into a cute lil meme instead https://t.co/icosSnsdyN
— svm (@blvcksvm954) October 3, 2021

if there’s one thing america is going to do it’s profit off of racism in any form https://t.co/wr5gZqqD3Q
— 🪐 (@jjordandelaney) October 3, 2021

Jokes aren’t good when the caucasians can make a profit off of them. https://t.co/Wx8ktjsdBw
— 𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙 𝕶𝖎𝖒 💥 (@TheCourtKim) October 3, 2021

This isn't first time a Karen costume has gone viral, though. Last year, Los Angeles-based artist Jason Adcock created two terrifying masks for Halloween. The masks retail for $180 each and take three to four weeks to process.