- An artist is selling “Karen” Halloween masks for $180 online in a nod to the viral meme that has come to represent problematic white women.
- The “Karen” meme especially took hold this year as middle-aged white women began going viral for asserting their sense of entitlement in actions that some perceive as racist.
- Los Angeles-based artist Jason Adcock created two versions of the “Karen” mask: one with an angry expression and another covered in warts that is dubbed KAREN-19, likely in reference to those who downplay COVID-19.
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Halloween is just around the corner and, as expected, costumes highlighting the most prominent moments of 2020 are sprouting up — including “Karen” masks.
“Karen” has become an umbrella term to describe middle-aged white women who assert their sense of entitlement when they commit actions that some perceive as racist, as Insider’s Rachel Greenspan reported. “Karens” that have been in the news recently include Amy Cooper, who called the police on a Black man in New York in May, as well as a San Francisco woman who called the cops on her neighbor, who was writing “Black Lives Matter” in chalk on his own property.
The "Karen" Halloween masks were created by Jason Adcock, a Los Angeles-based artist for hire according to his Instagram. They're made with latex and come with styled hair, lashes, and a personal paint job, according to the Etsy description.
Adcock told Business Insider that he's always worked in retail and has seen lots of "Karens" in their "natural habitat."
"I was starting on this year's Halloween projects and kept seeing "Karens" pop up in my news feed and thought, 'Damn this is the real monster of 2020,'" Adcock said.
The artist is selling two different versions of the "Karen" mask on his Etsy shop under the name kamorascostumes.
One is more in the scary realm, with the face twisted into an angry expression, complete with bulging red eyes and the inescapable blonde wig. The other, which the artist noted on Instagram is the KAREN-19, is similar but is covered in warts and looks sick. The caption describes KAREN-19 as someone who "thought she was slick calling you all sheep and look what happened," likely referring to those who downplay the COVID-19 pandemic. "Karens" sometimes sport the "Can I speak to your manager?" haircut, a bob that has become associated with the trope.
The masks are priced at $180 and take three to four weeks to process.