We are all aware of the Karen trend that happened a few years back and we got to see one Karen video after another. So what became of these incidents after the cameras stopped rolling? To answer this, we bring you the Victoria Secret Karen lawsuit update from one such incident during the COVID.
We all remember the COVID-19 days and what a stressful time it was for all of us. So imagine what happens when you combine COVID with a Karen? You get a huge mess that takes over social media and one such incident happened at the Victoria’s Secret outlet in New Jersey.
Victoria’s Secret Karen Incident
It was the peak of COVID season when Ms. Ijeoma Ukenta was shopping at the Victoria’s Secret store when Ms. Abigail Elphick stood too close to her. When she told her to keep her distance, Ms. Elphick complained to the store staff, upon which Ms. Ukenta started to record the incident on her phone.
Upon seeing this Ms. Elphick fell to the floor and cried and begged Ms. Ukenta to stop recording as she was having a mental breakdown. However, the incident was recorded for over 15 minutes as security was called and when the video was shared on the internet Ms. Elphick was dubbed the Victoria’s Secret Karen.
Victoria Secret Karen lawsuit update
Upon the release of the video on the internet, Ms. Elphick faced backlash from the internet. This resulted in her filing a lawsuit against Ms. Ukenta, who in turn filed a lawsuit against Ms. Elphick and Victoria’s Secret. So now we have not one but two lawsuits and there is a story attached to both sides.
Victoria Secret Karen lawsuit update: Ms. Elphick’s side
Ms. Elphick who is white crying and sobbing on the ground in front of Ms. Elphick who is black can easily be construed as a Karen in the video. Because it was the peak of the Karen trend we saw lots of white women being racist towards people of color.
But what we all didn’t know at the time was that Ms. Elphick is mentally disabled and lives at a complex that is reserved for people with mental disabilities. This is the basis of her lawsuit and it sheds light on how we see these incidents as black and white when there is more to it.
We were too quick to judge Ms. Elphick as a villain because on the surface she fit the criteria of such a villain, but now that we know of her condition, we realize how wrong we are and how quick we were too quick to judge her.
Victoria Secret Karen lawsuit update: Ms. Ukenta’s side
If Ms. Elphick is not the villain, then does it make Ms. Ukenta the villain? Well, when you hear her side of the story you will understand that she is not the villain either. She started recording the incident because she feared that if the police were called, they would not believe her without video proof.
Looking back at the history of police and people of color her fear was rightly placed and considering how long it took for the security to arrive, one can hardly argue that she was wrong in doing what she did. So she is not the villain in the incident either and this is the basis of her countersuit against Ms. Elphick and her lawsuit against Victoria’s Secret who failed to properly take action.
Conclusion
Now that we know the Victoria Secret Karen lawsuit update, we can more clearly see how neither of the parties involved in this incident is entirely wrong. Rather this incident resulted from a combination of mental health issues, poor communication, and a justified fear of facing racism.
