Malaysia

My body, my choice: ‘KLCC Karen’ on mask controversy

Caucasian woman says she is merely exercising freedom to choose

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 07 Nov 2021 12:19PM

My body, my choice: ‘KLCC Karen’ on mask controversy
Our song is freedom, freedom to choose what we eat, where we go, who we go with and what we do to our bodies, medically or otherwise, says the Caucasian woman. – Screen grab, November 7, 2021

by Arjun Mohanakrishnan

KUALA LUMPUR – A Caucasian woman dubbed “KLCC Karen” for her refusal to wear a mask in Suria KLCC said she is merely exercising her freedom to choose.

In a video uploaded yesterday on the 117%WeThePeople Twitter page, the woman refers to herself as Karen Dior before saying there are countries that have withdrawn mask mandates.

“Our song is freedom, freedom to choose what we eat, where we go, who we go with and what we do to our bodies medically or otherwise.

“It is a choice, your choice, my choice.

“Many countries are giving the mandates, there are links below, you are invited to read them and form your own opinion,” the woman said.

She then proceeds to use Malay terminologies to drive her point across, such as “rumah terbuka” (open house) and “makanan enak” (tasty food).

The woman then asks Malaysians to imagine an open house every day for a united Malaysia, before saying a man who is not aware of his rights has no rights.

“Rumah terbuka, open your eyes, open your hearts, open your souls, open your homes.

“Open house. Love, laughter, joy, makanan enak.

“Imagine an open house every day for the rest of your lives, all Malaysians, all one all united.

“A man who does not know his rights has no rights; we are free.”

She ended her video with the catchphrase “let’s go Brandon”, which is understood to be a slur against United States President Joe Biden.

On October 31, the Caucasian woman was slapped with a RM3,000 fine for refusing to wear a mask and checking in via MySejahtera at a retail outlet in Suria KLCC.

A video of the incident, where the woman argued with retail staff in KLCC went viral on social media, leading netizens to label her a “Karen”, a pejorative term to describe a woman with an inflated sense of entitlement. – The Vibes, November 7, 2021

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