On Monday, a new neon green banner reading “Kamala HQ” appeared on President Biden’s old campaign profile on the social media service X. Not only does this mark the official launch of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, but it also signals the campaign’s full embrace of her as an icon of Gen Z’s “Brat Summer.”
The phrase refers to British pop star Charli XCX’s June album “BRAT,” evoking a summer of edgy fun, partying and the messiness of being a woman, including the complexities of jealousy and relationships. TikTok users first took notice of Harris before her campaign kicked off with videos of her dancing and laughing, but those videos exploded after news spread that Biden was dropping out and endorsing Harris.
The Harris campaign chose a neon green banner for the campaign as a nod to the trend of mimicking the album’s cover art. Many of the viral videos on TikTok are in neon green, pairing popular songs from the album with the wildly popular and widely memed clip of “Coconut Tree.” The quote comes from a speech in which she shared something her mother used to tell her:
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“‘You young people don’t know what’s wrong. Do you think you fell off a coconut tree?'” Harris quoted her mother as saying, “You exist within the context of everything you’re living in and what has happened before you.”
The internet has combined these two seemingly unrelated topics to produce some hilarious and funny videos of Harris, with one of her most popular videos garnering over 2 million views and 500,000 likes. The tag “#kamalaharris” is also trending on TikTok, with over 101 million views and over 9,000 posts in the past seven days.
Charli XCX has said that “selfish” means “a girl who’s a little messy, likes to party and says stupid things sometimes,” but on Sunday she herself bestowed the title on Harris, saying, “Kamala is the epitome of selfishness.”
Similar viral posts also used songs like “Femininomenon” by pop artist Chappelle Lone and other quotes from Harris, boosting her profile among Gen Z and active social media users. The phenomenon is in stark contrast to the administration’s low approval ratings and Harris’ failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
“Gen Z wants a sassy president,” read a social media post from the Gen Z group Dream for America.
Harris’ support for the epidemic extends beyond her own campaign to other corners of the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association is selling “Brat” merchandise, saying, “In November’s election, all 365 party girls will be wearing Brat shirts to the polls and elect Kamala Harris and the Democrats.”
The focus on Harris has revived hopes for Democrats after fears about the GOP’s strength following President Biden’s age, the Republican National Convention and the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
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