Respect the Drip Karen

About

Respect the Drip Karen refers to a viral TikTok video in which a person explains that they've been working on a new outfit but their step mother won't allow them to wear it out and then reveal their outfit while saying "respect the drip Karen." The phrase includes the common antagonist female character Karen commonly found in memes as well as the slang "drip" which stands for style or outfit. In August 2019 the original audio of the video was then used in other TikTok videos that showcase strange outfits.

Origin

On July 23rd, 2019, TikTok user @drewbreeeeze uploaded the original video in which he dons multiple layers of clothing, explaining that his stepmother won't allow him to wear it out (shown below). The video gained over 72,300 likes and 9,000 shares in a month.

Spread

On August 5th, 2019, TikTok user @nicksdeathpit uploaded a popular variation in which he wears an elaborate squirrel costume (shown below, left). The video garnered over 827,600 likes and 93,000 shares in 21 days. Two days later @kevinconstantino82 uploaded another popular iteration which accumulated over 870,600 likes and 68,600 shares in 19 days (shown below, center). On August 14th, Urban Dictionary^[1] user HeylookmomImadeit defined Respect the Drip Karen as "A tik tok reference, that refers to someone wearing a outfit of choice (normally strange outfit) and complaining about how they cannot wear it out. Therefore telling Karen to respect the drip (drip meaning outfit or style)." TikTok users continued create their own variations throughout the month. On August 21st @anwar uploaded another Respect the Drip Karen video wearing a sombrero (shown below right). The video gained over 663,700 likes and 24,100 shares in five days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References