Victoria's Secret 'Karen' Claims 'Mental Breakdown' After Harassing Black Woman
A woman appeared to fake a mental breakdown after being caught on camera attacking a Black shopper, and it’s a miracle no one drowned in all those fake white lady tears
We’ve seen the antics of a Costco Karen, a Central Park Karen, a Trader’s Joe Karen (and many, many others), and now we can add a Victoria’s Secret Karen to the White Women Hall of Shame. A New Jersey woman took caucacity (that’s caucasian + audacity, FYI) to a whole new level inside the lingerie store, appearing to fake a mental breakdown after a Black shopper called out her rude behavior.
It all went down at a mall in Short Hills, N.J. A Black woman, Ijeoma Ukenta, said she was simply trying to redeem her coupon for free panties when the Karen in question elbowed her out of the way. When Ukenta said, “Excuse me,” (as is totally reasonable to do), she said the other woman got aggressive. That’s when Ukenta got her phone out and start filming.
“I didn’t try to hit you, please but don’t record me,” the woman screeches — but ummm… the video actually begins with her hitting Ukenta?
“Don’t record my mental breakdown, please, please,” she screams. At one point another shopper tries to intervene, asking Ukenta why she wouldn’t just walk away — which makes you wonder why that question wasn’t directed at the white woman screaming and writhing on the ground like she’d just caught the Holy Spirit. I was honestly expecting her to start speaking in tongues next.
Ukenta has a perfectly justifiable reason for not putting down the camera. “You keep lying and saying I’m threatening you, so I’m recording to protect myself,” she says. Without that footage, it’s her word against Karen’s — whose real name is reportedly Abigail Elphick.
Elphick chases Ukenta around the store at one point, screaming “Get the phone away from her!” at the top of her lungs. Somehow most people seem to just… keep on shopping? At no point do we see anyone try to step in and help or comfort Ukenta.
Eventually both mall security and local police are called (by Elphick, because of course she’d bank of them taking her side), both of whom seem to respond with a general air of “Meh.” All Ukenta asks for in the video is for Elphick to be escorted out of the mall — a pretty reasonable request.
Luckily, Ukenta had the presence of mind to get the police officers’ names and the case number, however, and she later shows a copy of the police report. Elphick apparently played down all the aggression on her part, instead insisting that she was simply scared of being recorded. I can’t wonder what might have happened if Elphick had done the sane thing — for example, apologize — rather than try and harness her whiteness for sympathy.
This kind of thing happens so often that cities like New York and San Francisco have had to pass laws punishing people who make unfounded 911 calls against people of color. Which is exactly what happened here — and Elphick doesn’t appear to have faced any repercussions for her tantrum, beyond social media infamy. Let’s hope that’s enough to curb her Karen tendencies.
