Miss Ann is an expression used inside theAfrican-American community to refer to awhite women (or sometimes ablack woman) who isarrogant and condescending in her attitude.
The characteristics associated with someone called a "Miss Ann" include being considered "uppity", or in the case of a black woman, "acting white".[1]
Like the male counterpart termMister Charlie, the termMiss Ann was once common among many African-Americans. It was a pejorative way of commenting on imperious behaviour from white women, particularly when it came with racist undertones. It is seldom used among young African-Americans today, instead the termKaren has come into further usage amongst people of all races in the United States.[2]
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Miss Anne: “A White Woman”
—Zora Neale Hurston,Glossary of Harlem Slang
Ann; Miss Ann: Coded term for any white female. [i.e.] “His mama washes clothes on Wednesday for Miss Ann.”
—Clarence Major,From Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang
Ann: (1) A derisive term for a white woman ... Also “Miss Ann.”
—Geneva Smitherman,Black Talk
Miss Ann and Mister Eddie: Emancipated bluebloods.
—Emmanuel Taylor Gordon,Born to Be
"I’d remind them please, look at those knees, you got at Miss Ann’s scrubbing."
–Maya Angelou,Sepia Fashion Show[3]
"Oh, oh, oh, Miss Ann, you're doing something no one can…"
–"Miss Ann" song byLittle Richard. Here the singer may be referring to the white woman, Ann Johnson, who mothered him as a young teenager, twisting the standard connotation in ambiguous ways.[4]
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