According to social media, this year is “Brat Summer,” but what exactly is a Brat, and why is Vice President Kamala Harris involved?
The trend is inspired by British pop star Charli XCX’s album “Brat,” which was released on June 7, and features the word “Brat” in blurry black letters against a neon lime green cover.
Charlie XCX showed his support for Harris on Sunday, tweeting “Kamala is a brat” shortly after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race.
Harris leveraged the social media frenzy surrounding the album, and the flood of memes that came with it, into her presidential campaign.
Biden HQ rebrands as Kamala HQ. Brat’s banner image will get the most attention but honestly it’s the “provide context” bio that kills me ???? pic.twitter.com/yZWhazdOsf
— Alyssa Franke (@AlyssaFranke) July 22, 2024
So what does that mean?
“You’re a girl who’s a little bit messy, who says stupid things sometimes, who feels like herself, who can get emotional at times, but who gets over it and parties,” Charli XCX said in an interview on TikTok, according to USA Today. “You’re honest, you’re outspoken, and you’re a little bit quirky. That’s Brat.”
The album “embraces a pan-rock pop star aesthetic, prioritizing club culture at its core, while offering introspective lyrics about aging, femininity, grief and anxiety,” according to USA Today.
The kids are fun, community-oriented and open about their personalities, USA Today reported.
“Brat Summer,” as defined by Charli XCX, is about embracing the lifestyle associated with being a “brat.”
The #bratsummer trend has had nearly one million posts on TikTok, with the lime green theme being used by thousands of individuals and businesses, according to the BBC.
Today’s survey!! Theme: Brat Summer!????
What is a brat? Given the entertaining press this is getting, I’m curious how many people know what’s going on…
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) July 23, 2024
Harris’ “Kamala HQ” account on social media platform X features a reference to the album in black text on a lime green banner.
Kamala is a brat.
— Charlie (@charli_xcx) July 22, 2024
According to USA Today, the tweet cemented Harris’ “kid status.” Songs by other artists have also been featured on various edits, including Chapel Lone’s “Femininomenon.”
My TikTok feed is full of Kamala fancams. I’ve never seen anything like it (thread) pic.twitter.com/fVozbh9W4L
— Joe (@JoePostingg) July 22, 2024
Kamala fans are too creative, what is this???????????? pic.twitter.com/4eKF3ijuZ6
— Lucas???????????? (@Luctranada) July 22, 2024
Why I stayed up until 3am making a Von Dutch Brat Coconut Tree edit featuring Kamala Harris, and why I can’t stop watching it on repeat pic.twitter.com/hqcmerD1Pb
— Ryan (@ryanlong03) July 3, 2024
Reuters reported that the viral post could help Harris appeal to young voters who could play a pivotal role in the next election.
Gen Z fans have turned the trend into an aesthetic, with memes featuring Harris, like her famous “coconut tree” line, becoming all the rage across the internet.
Is that a… coconut tree? pic.twitter.com/UbWheoVbwQ
— Liz Charbonneau (@lizchar) July 21, 2024
According to Reuters, this is an audio clip of a speech from 2023 that was previously criticized but is now embraced by Gen Z as a kind of existential philosophy.
“You think you fell from a coconut tree?” Harris asked in her speech, quoting a line her mother used to say, before laughing and turning serious, Reuters reported. “You exist in the context of everything you live in and everything that has come before you.”
Brat Summer becomes President Kamala ??????????????????????????????
pic.twitter.com/EFitBuQh2L https://t.co/sbEsXGW2es
— Mike Hall 👑👑 (@MichaelDrummey) July 22, 2024
Megan Swift is a Triblive reporter covering trending news in western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined Triblive full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. Previously, she worked at Triblive as a Jim Bowden Scholarship intern for three years. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.
