Picture this - you're getting a pedicure. You've picked out your color and you're sitting there while the nail tech buffs and polishes your feet. You're content with your shade choice - a nice burgundy - right between a deep cherry & rose. Perfect for the upcoming Fall months!

The nail tech paints your first big toe. She asks if you like the color.

You look down and doubt creeps in - the color seems more purple-y than you would like….

Actually…..A LOT more purpley.

YET, you nod at the nail tech in agreement.

"yes…I like it".

(internal screaming - WTF I DON'T like this color....why did I just say that?!???)

The nail tech continues on in her painting & by the time she gets to your second foot, you are now certain that the color is VERY purple. Definitely not the color you had in mind; you don't even like purple!

The nail tech finishes up and you go sit to have your feet dry. While your feet dry, you're thinking of how you'll have to get another pedi next week because you don’t want purple toes. You pay $40 for your pedi, tip $10, and now you are out $50 for a pedicure that you're not satisfied with.

This situation sound familiar? Even if it wasn't a pedicure - maybe you've experienced a dissatisfactory meal, haircut, or massage where you have sat quietly and accepted sub-par service.

Ladies.

Why.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Why are we conditioned to sit and hold our tongues when something is wrong? Why are we so quick to accept something we may not be happy with because - heaven forbid - we slightly inconvenience someone else?

& more over - why the hell are we quietly accepting sub par services WHEN WE'RE PAYING FOR THEM?

LIKE??? That's SO stupid.

So, why are we being stupid?

I think most of us are raised to be accommodating and pleasant. We are taught to be polite and ladylike & complaining doesn't fall in the realms of being a "lady". Hell, our society has even gone as far to dub women who find fault in a service as "Karens".

So we sit at nail salons getting our toes stained with a color we don’t like because we don't want to be THAT customer. We don't want to be entitled or demanding by letting the staff know something is wrong.

We don't want to be a Karen.

I was in Chicago recently and was served what I can best describe as a cocktail directly from the medicine cabinet. It tasted like cough syrup. It was disgusting. By the time our waitress came back around, I mustered up the voice to tell her the following:

"Could I get a lemonade and vodka please? I’m sorry, I don't really like this one (pointing to the medicinal drink in front of me)...but I will still pay for it."

I don't like this but I'll pay for it!????

OOF. Talk about a disservice to myself! Why offer to pay for something I'm not even going to drink!? The waitress was kind enough to bring me a new cocktail and not charge but fact of the matter is, I WOULD have been willing to pay…which is stupid.

Last week - I had a microdermabrasion facial that was dreadful. I gritted my teeth for the full 45 minutes while my face was slopped with lotions & serums v, V incorrectly.

I kept my mouth shut the entire treatment because I didn't want to be a bother…but as my treatment drew to a close, I knew I had to say something to the front desk. Microderms aren’t cheap and heaven forbid I don’t complain and the spa continues to allow the facial technician to not get trained properly.

After the treatment was over, I went up to the front desk to pay and decided to complain…nicely lol.

I let the front desk rep know I was unhappy and the microderm was done incorrectly. The rep was sweet and apologized but still charged my card for the facial & I was told the manager would give me a call tomorrow.

The manager gave me a call the next day and I was certain that I would be reimbursed after my explanation of what had happened. No reimbursement was offered.

THENNNNN

the manager had the gall to tell me my other microderms I had there previously

- GET THIS -

probably weren’t done correctly.

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

LOL.

This was my 7th microderm at this location. I was pissed.

& Here.

Comes.

KAREN.

My Karen passionately wrote a v SNAPPY Yelp review about my experience.

30 minutes later,

the spa manager gave me another call. This time around, he fervently apologized for my experience and I was refunded in full.

#f*ckyeah

finally.

However, this was a very roundabout way to get what I wanted. My yelping would have been TOTALLY unnecessary if I would have stopped being a baby & just spoken up in the first place.

The second I realized the microderm wasn’t up to par, I should have nicely informed the technician of my dissatisfaction, walked out of that room and politely asked for a refund at the front desk. By staying quiet initially & severely tempering my responses throughout this situation, my emotions got bottled up and I subsequently exploded on Yelp. Oops.

If you are unhappy with something - especially if you are paying for it - say something! Use your voice and ask for what you want. You’re not being rude. You’re not being unladylike. You’re simply requesting what you want - and in a lot of instances - what you have paid for.

Stop settling.

Start Karening.