How a meme destroyed a mother's baby name

The mum-to-be was not aware of the popular "can I speak to the manager" memes. Photo / Getty Images.

An expectant mum has been ridiculed by her family for choosing to name her baby "Karen".

Stephanie, the mum-to-be, was seemingly unaware that Karen is commonly used in internet culture, as a popular "Can I speak to the manager" meme.

In my line of work a Karen (actually my mother’s name which makes it even funnier) also has the “can i speak to a manager” haircut pic.twitter.com/iqjUDTG5a7

— 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝔸𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕪 ✊🏼 (@whoayeaitslindz) May 24, 2019

"When Stephanie was out of the room, everyone was immediately like, 'that poor kid' and 'why would she pick Karen of all names?" Stephanie's cousin admitted on Reddit thread "Am I The A**hole?"

The cousin went on to say she had decided to explain the joke behind the name to Stephanie, and that she showed her some of the memes.

View this post on Instagram

Danny + Can I speak to you manager memes = ❤️❤️❤️ #memes #canispeaktoyourmanager #gayboyz

A post shared by Danni & Christian (@dazeofthegays) on May 28, 2019 at 7:28pm PDT

"I started to explain to her that Karen has some negative connotations and has become a sort of internet joke to describe a very specific kind of entitled middle-aged woman," she added.

According to the cousin, Stephanie reacted terribly to the news and was "furious".

"I wasn't trying to tell Stephanie not to name her daughter Karen, I just wanted her to make an informed decision," she wrote. "I'd want someone to do the same for me."

karen, 35, soccer mom, has two boys ages 7 & 12, cooks a mean potato salad, drives a mini van, and wants to speak to your manager pic.twitter.com/ZIHSJMjb07

— 😌🔪 (@vincentdutton) June 6, 2018

Over 300 people responded to the thread, with many slamming the cousin for being "insensitive."

"You are definitely the a**hole," wrote one.

"You really think it's still going to matter when this kid grows up? It's a meme."

Karen is 35 years old and would like to speak to your manager pic.twitter.com/ohlnmMSgie

— b. (@brandkim13) August 20, 2016

Some readers, however, agreed that it was a terrible choice.

"To be fair to you, Karen is a pretty crappy name."

Cathreen is on summer holiday at the beach and wants to speak to the manager...

Posted by Tom Sainsbury - Comedian and Snapchat Dude on Monday, 21 January 2019

Kiwi comedian Tom Sainsbury has also interpreted the classic Karen character as his very own "Cathreen"