Millennials have been reacting to the name Jessica being treated as the new “Karen,” and they are baffled.
Years ago, “Karen” emerged in online slang and changed the internet forever. Any video of a woman getting frustrated with staff, asking for a manager, or acting entitled, would be guaranteed to have comment after comment calling her a Karen.
The insult has become so ingrained in society that Merriam-Webster includes the definition on its website: “A slang term used to disparage a stereotypically middle-class, middle-aged white woman who rebukes or reports others in angry, sometimes racist public displays.”
Recently, however, Gen Z commentators have coined a new term: the Jessica, essentially the millennial version of the Karen.
Newsweek previously spoke to Alexander Cromer, a licensed professional counselor with Thriveworks, who said the Jessica appears to be used towards “millennial women who demonstrate characteristics such as being demanding, tone-deaf, and aggressive and overall demonstrates a difficulty in likability.”
But as the new term spreads, Jessicas are hitting back.
Jessica Blanc was among those reacting to the news, and the 38-year-old—who described herself as “peak millennial”—told Newsweek she “laughed so hard” when her husband sent her an article that declared Gen Z had dubbed her name to be the new Karen.
“I’d like to formally deny the allegations,” she joked to Newsweek. “I have never once demanded a manager. I simply go home and rehearse in the shower what I should’ve said for three days.”
In a video shared to her TikTok account, @jessblanc87 on January 11, Blanc shared that she had learned “apparently Jessica is the new Karen for millennials according to Gen Z.”
“I don’t know whether to feel flattered about this or offended,” she said.
She asked “who was in charge of this voting system,” as while Jessica is a “popular name,” she pointed out that Ashley “could be a contender.”
“I just find this hilarious,” she said. “Go Jessica!”
Blanc, from St Louis, Missouri, told Newsweek that she doesn’t think “any millennial name could replace ‘Karen.'”
“We are definitely more of a relaxed generation, more so than Gen X and the Boomers. We’ve honestly been through so much as a generation that I feel like we have bigger issues to deal with than [summoning] a manager at Starbucks because our latte is subpar,” she said.
“Millennials would take the latte and then leave a tip knowing that maybe the barista is just having a rough day!”
Blanc wasn’t alone.
TikTok user @rnjessicaa shared her own video, asking: “So like when and why is this even a thing?” and admitted she was “genuinely upset” by the news that her name was the “new Karen.”
But @mycrazylifewithjess leaned into it, wearing a blonde bob-cut wig and declaring: “I need the manager immediately,” along with the words: “Me as soon as I heard Jessica was the new Karen.”
While Gen Z appear to have had their say on the new trend, many commenters on Blanc’s video—viewed more than 12,000 times—appeared united against it.
“I feel like it should definitely be Brittany or Nichole,” one said, another pointing out: “Kaitlin’s right there.”
“I vote Jennifer. I know too many cool Jessicas,” another said.
Commenters named Jessica also had a big response, with replies including “oh come on now,” “I refuse,” and “I don’t like it.”
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