Karens of the Illawarra have been given a reason to be proud of their name - for the next week anyway.
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Anyone bearing that name has copped it since last year, when social media decided that rude, obnoxious middle-aged white women were tagged as a Karen.
It's become worse in recent weeks, due in part to the "Bunnings Karen" whose self-filmed video went viral earlier this week.
But Wollongong burger joint His Boy Elroy is putting a silver lining on the Karen cloud - for the next week anyone with that name will score themselves a free cheeseburger.
"It's limited to one per Karen per day," said His Boy Elroy's owner Lachlan Stevens. "So Karen can come in over the next seven days and get seven cheeseburgers if she desires."
The deal started on Thursday and finishes next Wednesday. Interested Karens should note they will need to provide their driver's licence to prove their Karen-ness.
"We've had some His Boy regulars change their name on Facebook to Karen but that's not going to fly," Mr Stevens said.
He said it was a "fun idea" that came in response to those videos showing people lashing out at customer-facing workers.
"We wanted to make light of those complaining Karens and get them to turn them into caring Karens, to share a smile with us and grab a free cheeseburger," he said.
Woonona's Karen Mastro-Battista is a fan of the Elroy cheeseburgers and said she was touched by the gesture.
"How sweet are they? I almost got a tear in my eye, it was so kind. It was really lovely."
Ms Mastro-Battista said in recent weeks she has been hit with "Karen" remarks several times a day - and it got worse after Bunnings Karen.
"It started off being a bit of a joke last year," Ms Mastro-Battista said.
"It was quite funny. I suppose everyone can be a bit of a Karen at times. Then it just started getting really nasty.
"I'm still trying to take it with a grain of salt but I've been surprised how much vehemence is behind some of the things I'm seeing."
It had gotten so bad she had toyed with changing her name but her friends advised her against it, saying this would all blow over.
She said she too is shocked by the behaviour of some of these pretend Karens.
"I just think everyone should be nice to everyone," she said.
"You can complain about something you're not happy with, but you can still be nice about it. You really want to be treating people the way you want to be treated."
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
