TORONTO -- Some so-called "Karens" may be refusing to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, but thatâs not stopping other people from wearing "Karen" masks on their own faces, thanks to a popular and controversial new disguise out in time for Halloween.
Complete with bloodshot eyes, an enraged expression, and the infamous short, layered haircut that inspired a million memes, the homemade âKarenâ mask has become a best-seller for artist Jason Adcock.
â2020 is the year of the KAREN! Scare all ur friends with ur big hair and narrow mind,â Adcock wrote in in August.
The name âKarenâ has become an umbrella term used to signify entitled white women who use their privilege to demand special treatment and complain about trivial matters, such as when they ask to âspeak to the managerâ or refuse to wear face masks in public during the pandemic.
In 2020, the term blew up after several racially charged incidents in the U.S. in which white women used their privilege against Black people. For example, the case of Amy Cooper, a white woman who unnecessarily called the police on a Black man in New York City in May after he asked her to put her dog on a leash.
Adcock told that he designed the mask after seeing a number of recent incidents in the news involving âKarenâ behaviour.
âIâve kind of seen âKarensâ in the wild my whole life, and I just thought it would be kind of a funny thing to make for Halloween, and I didnât think it would really take off,â he told the program on Tuesday.
ââKarenâ is transcendent of all gender and size. She is just like a modern-day tyrant. Anybody evil can be a Karen.ââ
And while the Los Angeles-based artist may not have expected his design to âtake off,â thatâs exactly what has happened.
Adcock has already sold nearly 70 of his homemade, latex âKarenâ masks for US$180 each, according to his .
He even created a called âKAREN-19,â which features a sickly pallor and boils to represent the fictional outcome for those âKarensâ who refused to wear a mask during the pandemic.
In an on Wednesday, the artist announced his âKarenâ masks were sold out and he would let people know if âthings change.â
While the mask may be a hit with those who are looking for a timely pop-culture costume this year, there are also many others who took offence.
Adcockâs social media pages have been flooded with comments from users accusing him of designing a mask that is âracistâ against white women.
Supporters of the artist have countered that only âKarensâ would be outraged by a Halloween mask.
Itâs a perspective Adcock shares and one that he hopes others will realize too when they see his design.
âJust take it for what it is: a funny Halloween mask. Iâm not here to ruin anybodyâs day. Iâm just trying to make people laugh,â he said.