What Is a Karen Haircut & Where Did It Come From?

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Learn how to identify Karen haircuts and what styles to get instead

Co-authored by Aimee Payne, MFA Reviewed by Jasmin Todd

Last Updated: September 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Identifying a Karen Haircut
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• Karen Haircut Origins
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• Karen vs. Other “Mom” Hairstyles
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• Alternatives to the Karen Haircut
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• “Can I Speak to the Manager” Meme
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• What is a Karen?

|Show more |Show less

You’ve probably heard enough about the Karen haircut to know you don’t want one. But, when you go to the salon, do you know how to avoid ending up with Karen hair? The good news is that there are only a few outdated or unflattering styles that are definitively Karen cuts. This article covers the major characteristics of the Karen haircut – like spikes in the back and chunky highlights – and what short hairstyles you can ask for instead.

What is a Karen haircut?

A Karen haircut is a short hairstyle with short, spiky layers in the back and long side swept bangs in the front. It also often has chunky highlights in brassy colors. Platinum textured pixie cuts and heavily teased lobs have also recently been associated with Karen haircuts.

Steps

Section 1 of 6:

Identifying a Karen Haircut

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1. 1
   The Classic Karen is a choppy, inverted bob with chunky highlights. This style is usually thought of as the “original” Karen haircut. It has a distinctive look, with shorter hair in the back and long, straight bangs that are pushed to the side. The short hair at the back is styled in spikes that stick out from the head in all directions.

   • Inverted bobs with extreme differences between the front and the back lengths are often identified as Karen hairstyles, even when the back isn’t spiked out.
   • Some people identify almost any shorter women’s hairstyle as a Karen cut. However, most agree that Karen styles are short and spiky in the back and longer in the front.
2. 2
   The Long Karen is a lob that’s heavily teased at the crown. It shares an inverted line that’s longer in the front and shorter in the back with the Classic Karen. The heavy teasing at the crown makes it look extremely puffy and oversized. It also usually has straight, side-swept bangs.

   • A lob is a shortened name for a long bob hairstyle.
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3. 3
   The Short Karen is a platinum blond textured pixie cut. The platinum color and heavy texturing are what distinguish this style from other pixie cuts. Like a Classic Karen, the hair is cut shorter in the back and a little longer on top. The long top can be brushed forward over the forehead or swept to the side…like a Karen would do.

   • This hairstyle is most famously worn by Ellen Degeneres, who has reportedly been dubbed “Talk Show Karen” by staff members on her show.
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Section 2 of 6:

Karen Haircut Origins

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1. The Classic Karen haircut is usually associated with Kate Gosselin. Star of the reality TV show John & Kate + 8, Kate Gosselin popularized the Classic Karen haircut when she got it in 2009. At the time, it was so popular that people called it “The Gosselin.”

   • Many viewers of the show perceived Gosselin’s personality as demanding or challenging, which may have contributed to her hair being connected to the Karen stereotype.
   • The Karen haircut is also called a tellum or reverse mullet because the hair is long in the front and short in the back, which is the opposite of a traditional mullet.

Section 3 of 6:

Karen vs. Other “Mom” Hairstyles

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1. There’s an overlap between the Karen and other “Mom” hairstyles. Pixies, bobs, and lobs are often associated with both Karen and “Mom” hair. The Karen is actually a subset of “Mom” hair. Typically, a “Mom” hairstyle is one you get after giving birth because it’s thought that shorter hair is easier to manage while caring for children.

   • Some define a “Mom” haircut as a bob that’s longer in the back and slightly shorter in the front. The longer back is often flipped out into while the top is smooth and full. It’s even been made fun of in a Saturday Night Live sketch called “Baby Shower.”
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Section 4 of 6:

Alternatives to the Karen Haircut

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1. Choose a bob, lob, or pixie cut with soft layers and natural highlights. It might seem like any style that isn’t long is getting labeled as a Karen hairstyle, but there are many women wearing stylish bobs, lobs, and pixie cuts that aren’t as spiky or brassy as the Karen style. However, if you really like a style that some refer to as a Karen cut, that’s perfectly all right! Many feel the Karen hairstyle is more about attitude than a specific style. Here are a few examples of non-Karen haircuts to consider if you would still rather avoid the look:

   • French Bob: Instead of the overly layered and spiky look of the Classic Karen haircut, try the casual, slightly messy French bob. The cheekbone-length style is blunt at the ends instead of inverted and is often worn with messy, undone bangs.
   • Italian Bob: The Italian bob is a little more “done up” than the French bob, but instead of Karen-like layers and spikes, it features soft curls and voluminous waves. The ends are blunt-cut at chin length with a slight inward curl to frame your face.
   • Shaggy Lob: The shaggy lob lacks the longer front, teased-up crown, and inverted style of the Karen lob. Instead, it features texturized layers that are easy to style and maintain. It’s worn parted in the middle with short, center-parted bangs.
   • Lob with Curtain Bangs: A lob with curtain bangs features a middle part, face-framing curtain bangs, and a breezy wash-and-go look that is the opposite of the teased-and-sprayed look of the Karen cut. This cut features light layering for movement and bangs that are cut to emphasize your eyes and cheekbones.
   • Smooth, Rounded Pixie: Instead of the platinum blond ultra-textured look of the short Karen cut, try a classic pixie inspired by Audrey Hepburn. It’s softer and more rounded with short bangs that are gently swept to the side in a light fringe.
   • Curly Pixie:Embrace your hair’s natural texture instead of forcing it into a straighter texture. Curls or waves bring a more romantic and sophisticated look to the pixie cut. The softer texture gives you a softer appearance that says, “I’m fun and friendly!” instead of “I’d like to speak to your manager.”

Section 5 of 6:

“Can I Speak to the Manager” Meme

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1. The “Can I Speak to the Manager” meme started in 2014. The Facebook user Crush Rush posted a side picture of a woman with an inverted bob hairstyle that was captioned, “The ‘Can I Speak to a Manager’ Haircut”. Later that year, the image was uploaded by Redditor johnnylogic to the /r/funny Reddit forum where it gained 3,100 points and 370 comments before being archived.

   • After that, the image spread to other Reddit forums, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Section 6 of 6:

What is a Karen?

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1. “Karen” is slang for entitled white women who act overly demanding. She’s viewed as the type of person who often demands to speak to the manager to belittle people who work in the service industry. She has also become associated with the anti-vaccination movement and making racist micro-aggressions.

   • Stereotypical Karens are also seen as weaponizing their privilege against people of color by making police complaints in response to minor or fake infractions.
   • Karen is the most recent name used by Black men and women to refer to privileged white women who weaponize their privilege. During the Jim Crow Era of the late 1800s through the 1960s, Black people used “Miss Ann.”
   • By the 1990s, “Becky” took the place of “Miss Ann.”
   • If someone calls you a Karen, the best reaction is to stay calm and think about your behavior. Be aware of your privilege and practice empathy towards others.

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