A MUM-to-be has been slammed by her own family for choosing to name her baby daughter Karen, after they suggested the name has ‘bad connotations’.
The expectant mother, known only as Stephanie, had set her heart on the traditional moniker, but when she sat down with family and friends to tell them, she found them laughing about its significance.
Her cousin took to Reddit to share the drama from the family gathering, with the unnamed woman explaining that Stephanie wasn’t aware of how the name Karen was often used in internet culture.
The female admitted that when the name choice was announced, she was immediately reminded of many jokes she had seen online, and couldn’t help but laugh at the choice.
And to make matters worse, when Stephanie left upset, the cousin claims the rest of the family began mocking and gossiping about the baby name as well.
She on the thread Am I The A**hole: “When Stephanie was out of the room, everyone was immediately like, ‘that poor kid’ and ‘why would she pick Karen of all names?’. These people had all politely said the name was lovely to her face.
“The name is really loaded, to the point it could be detrimental to the baby – and she had no idea of the connotations in order to make an informed decision.”
Feeling bad that her cousin was left in the dark, the mystery woman brought it up with Stephanie, explaining what the name Karen meant on many internet forums.
“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.
However, instead of being grateful, Stephanie was immediately ‘furious’, and stormed out when the cousin googled Karen related memes on her phone to prove what she was saying was true.
“I wasn’t trying to tell Stephanie not to name her daughter Karen, I just wanted her to make an informed decision,” she wrote, upset at the family feud. “I’d want someone to do the same for me.”
She asked the people of the internet to judge whether or not she had been an ‘a**hole’, clearly sad that Stephanie was no longer talking to her.
And over 300 people took to the comment section to respond, many blaming the cousin for being ‘insensitive’ over the pregnant woman’s choice.
“You are definitely the a**hole,” one person wrote in response. “You really think it’s still going to matter when this kid grows up? It’s a meme.
“For anyone pregnant and planning on having kids, this is why you shouldn’t reveal the name until the baby is born. Someone’s always got something stupid to say, no matter what.”
Another person added: “Internet memes come and go very quickly – so I think you are massively exaggerating the likelihood that associations will stick around.”
While a third joked: “To be fair to you, Karen is a pretty crappy name.”
