MAFS star Mishel changed her surname to Karen right before it became an insult

Talk about bad timing! How Married At First Sight bride Mishel changed her surname to KAREN right before the word became an insult for rude, self-important white women

Decent, law-abiding Karens are understandably upset that their name has been adopted as a byword for rude, self-important white women.

But spare a thought for Married At First Sight star Mishel Karen, who actually chose it as a surname just a few years before it became an insult.

Karen is understood to have been Mishel’s middle name originally, but she adopted it legally as a surname before her rise to fame earlier this year.

Talk about bad timing! How Married At First Sight bride Mishel changed her surname to Karen right before the word became an insult for rude, self-important white women

Mishel was once known as Mishel Trajceski, which is her former married name. Before that, she used her maiden name, Bogdanovski.

But a check of her ABN records shows that she began going by Mishel Karen in 2015.

Mishel’s decision to make Karen her legal surname is unfortunate given that the word is now associated with middle-aged women who ‘want to speak to the manager’.

Had she not decided to change her name, it’s likely that few Married At First Sight fans would even know Karen was her middle name originally.

Awkward! Karen is understood to have been Mishel's middle name originally, but she adopted it legally as a surname before her rise to fame earlier this year

Awkward! Karen is understood to have been Mishel’s middle name originally, but she adopted it legally as a surname before her rise to fame earlier this year

Change: Mishel was once known as Mishel Trajceski, which is her former married name. A check of her ABN records (pictured) shows that she began going by Mishel Karen in 2015

Change: Mishel was once known as Mishel Trajceski, which is her former married name. A check of her ABN records (pictured) shows that she began going by Mishel Karen in 2015

A ‘Karen’ is a neologism for a self-righteous woman, usually middle-aged, who tells people how to do their jobs, asserts their rights and complains to the manager. 

The origins of the term are unclear; however, it quickly became a popular meme on Internet forums such as Reddit to describe problematic women. 

While Karen is often synonymous with difficult, overbearing women, it has more recently become associated with anti-vaccination activists and conspiracy theorists who favour unproven ideas they’ve read about on Facebook to medical science.

Bad move? Had Mishel not decided to change her name, it's likely that few Married At First Sight fans would even know Karen was her middle name originally. Pictured with Steve Burley

Bad move? Had Mishel not decided to change her name, it’s likely that few Married At First Sight fans would even know Karen was her middle name originally. Pictured with Steve Burley

Karens are often associated with a side-swept bob haircut that is long at the front and short at the back.

In recent weeks, Melbourne Karens have embraced the ‘anti-mask movement’ by refusing to wear face coverings in public and claiming to be ‘sovereign citizens’.

In many cases, they have verbally abused store employees and police officers trying to enforce the rules.

Whoops! Mishel's decision to make Karen her legal surname is unfortunate given that the word is now associated with middle-aged women who 'want to speak to the manager'

Whoops! Mishel’s decision to make Karen her legal surname is unfortunate given that the word is now associated with middle-aged women who ‘want to speak to the manager’