CHARLOTTE AMALIE — If you want flaunt what you got in public — and let it all hang out in downtown St. Thomas — you better be prepared to be verbally attacked personally, on social media in real time.
One scantily-clad woman seen walking by the customer service stand for Dolphin Water Taxi in Red Hook on St. Thomas found that out the hard way this morning.
“Karen alert!!!! The blonde human type here was complaining extremely loudly because she strolled into the ferry terminal in her bathing suit and was told to cover upm” Catarina Marie said on Facebook. “Her words were: ‘I heard the locals down here were all racist to us white people and snooty about bathing suits!!! Not my fault YOUR PLACE here is like 90 degrees, I don’t know what you want me to do, I’m here taking my vacation.’ I snootily informed her she can get fined by the local police for running around with her wrinkled, tanning-booth tits out. She didn’t like that too much either.”
Some Virgin Islands Free Press readers responding on social media to a similar issue in St. John, cited chapter and verse of the Virgin Islands Code stating that fines can be levied against public decency offenders.
But a legal professional whose job it is to know exactly what Virgin Islands law is, told the V.I. Free Press this:
“There are First Amendment issues and selective enforcement issues. If you aren’t going to enforce it at Carnival, how are you going to enforce it other times of the year?”
“Karen” is a pejorative term for a woman seeming to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term also refers to memes depicting white women who use their privilege to demand they get their way. Depictions also may include demanding to “speak to the manager,” being racist or sporting a particular bob cut hairstyle. The term has been criticized for being sexist, ageist, misogynistic, or seeking to control female behavior
Still, the hue and cry went out again today against the woman in St. Thomas leaving little to the imagination — and souring the stomachs of everyone who saw her in Red Hook today.
“Can’t do that shit in the states, what makes people think they can do it down here?” Lily McMenamin said. “OH YEAH they’re on vacation. JUST CUZ YOU CAN SEE THE OCEAN DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE AT THE BEACH, put some damn clothes on. The amount of people I see walking/shopping around Havensite with NO PANTS on is absurd.”
“You heard about the locals being racist to you white people? Didn’t you also hear that there are jets leaving the island everyday? Get yo ass aboard the next one smoking outta here !!!!” Dwane Callwood said.
“I don’t understand. If she heard that the people of these Islands are racist, why would you come here? Asking for the multiple race of people that live on these Islands,” Clifford B. Callwood said.
“Went to Coral World again recently nothing but g-strings and fish nets…would you do that at SeaWorld?” Kayla Tennant asked. “It’s a kids theme park. Wrong place for that.”
“Exactly!! No respect. I saw a girl up here with that thing and sheer pants in at an amusement park. Not the place yo!” Heather Dockery replied to Kayla Tennant.
“LOCALS just have way more CULTURE & Class and RESPECT for the same,” Tracy West Young said. “Put your Folds up under a cover up KAREN.”
Thank you. Because some actually really do!” Heather Dockery replied to Tracy West Young.
“I don’t know why this is so hard to understand. Just because we have beaches does not make every square inch of the island a beach. Just like the existence of a swimming pool in a condominium does not mean you can wear a bikini all through the condominium and not get called out. We’re not grocery shopping in bikinis. We’re not commuting on the ferry in bikinis. Etc. Etc.m” Mark Hodge said.
“She should have been fined for wearing those damn aqua socks in public,” Clint Gaskins said.
“Aww c’mon, she just wants to show off them wrinkly goodies,” Leah Rossi said.
“The California Raisins were on island and I missed them?” Debra Stewart said.
“Nobody wants to sit in somebody else’s poom poom/a$$ juice,” Daniela Simon said.
“Well the only thing ‘racist’ with locals down here is intolerance to is anyone who doesn’t understand empathy to your fellow human… don’t start shit… and you won’t get shit back. Kinda simple,” Mac Anderson said.
“If this was the nineties, I’d say u da (bomb emoji),” Peter Lunz replied to Mac Anderson.
“Why did Karen chose to vacation here when she heard all those things? She wanted to test out the locals’ hospitality?They are the first ones that state people need to follow the law,” Kathrien Edie Williams said.
“Bout she heard about us locals…so why de hell you still came here for?! Ghurl bye,” Yvonne Fenton said.
“How is telling you to cover up been racist (eight quizzical emojis)?” Sandra Lee said.
“Wrinkled tanning booth tits LMBO (three laughing emojis),” Theresa Dixonblackett said.
“Fine her, it’s the only ‘fine ‘ and ‘her’ could be used in the same sentence,” Paul Grybowski said.
“Someone find her and ask her if she gonna wear said bathing suit and argue to the folks in the airport?” Jerrica Jarvis said.
“Legit saw a lady today walking down airport rd (towards the airport) in a bikini…like Miss that’s how you planning on flying home?!?” Angelee Ryan said.
“Maybe she could have found out more about local culture and respected it,” Stacy Hamilton said.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not accepted anywhere. Not trying to argue with you. Just saying you don’t see that in summertime in the northern cities or anywhere off the beach. I’m not a prude. I do appreciate a scantily clad lady. Typing too much. It’s not just the ladies. As an example say someone is from Miami. They’re going to cover up appropriately depending on location. I want to know why people think it’s ok to do that on holiday,” Peter Lunz replied to Stacy Hamilton.
“Racist to white people. Interesting concept. Karen should go back to Texas,” Jennifer Wagner said.
“Ma’am, those are water shoes,” Mikael Doumeng said.
“Yeah. Ideally be a lady in the streets. This just shows you’re weak in the sheets. This is not just directed at the females. It goes for the males and all other genders,” Peter Lunz said.
“Lately it seems the females visiting (I would never call them ladies) have never heard of proper clothing in public. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to wear teeny bikinis, but not until my feet touch sand,” Catarina Marie replied to Peter Lunz.
“AlL RaCiSt tO uS WhItE pPl” also not enough properly worn masks in that picture,” Michele Guannel said.
NONE OF THEM WERE WEARING MASKS PROPERLY until security came by and told them to. Apparently in the trailer parks of Indiana which I heard they were from no one makes them do that,” Catarina Marie replied to Michele Guannel.
“Put ya damn clothes on, Karen,” Vivienne DeMare said.
“She can carry her ass,” Jennifer Cannon said.
“When was this, I would have hollered,” KronPrinz D. Jay said.
“If it were a dentist’s office or a health clinic and a young man with his jeans pulled down for style had his sweaty underwear pressed up against the seat … how many people complaining here would walk up to him and tell him what a health risk this presents to the public?” Percy B. Shelly said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes and heard health care workers openly complaining about being on clean-up detail.”
LOL, Y’all bad. I needed a good laugh,” Sandra Aubain-LaPlace said.