The bright lime green and simple font of Charli XCX’s hit album “Brat” is everywhere these days, even appearing on the social media accounts of Democratic presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Brat” is a dance-pop album characterized by a gritty authenticity that captures the vulnerability of the cool-girl aesthetic.
But it’s more than the music: Charli herself has described Brat as “a girl who’s a bit messy and likes to party… who might say stupid things sometimes… who feels herself and might have a hard time, but she gets over it and parties… who’s very honest, very forthright and a bit quirky.”
The connection between Harris’ campaign and XCX’s album came about when the pop superstar tweeted “Kamala is a brat” on July 21. This came amid a flood of memes that remixed Harris’ iconic “Coconut Tree” quote with various hits from the album.
How did a pop album go from an internet niche to the White House? Experts attribute its meteoric growth to Gen Z and the trending power of social media.
“This is about generational trends,” said Andrew Selepak, an associate professor at the University of Florida’s School of Media Production, Management and Technology, who specializes in pop culture and social media.
“We’re in a new era of music, where album sales aren’t the issue, and you don’t necessarily have to stream the whole album. The streaming services themselves more or less pick songs from the album, unless you specifically request them.”
A brat is “a girl who’s a little messy and likes to party… who might say stupid things sometimes… who feels herself and has her moments, but who gets over it and parties… who’s very honest, very forthright and a little quirky.”
Pop singer Charlie XCX
Selepak said the trend differed from the music consumption habits of Harris’ generation, highlighting the generational divide that both the Brat phenomenon and the US presidential election capture.
“While Joe Biden of the Silent Generation has stepped down and endorsed himself, the Democratic Party is backing a candidate from another generation, moving from the Silent Generation to the Baby Boomers.”
He noted that the Biden campaign has not garnered support from many Gen Z voters. Selepak said the emergence of a younger candidate, especially combined with her social media visibility, or “meme-ification,” could help Democrats garner more attention from the nation’s youngest voters.
“We know that the Biden campaign had an issue in that a lot of young people, people like Gen Z, were losing interest in the Biden campaign because they thought, ‘He’s too old.'”
Selepak said this is important for Democrats.
“Traditionally, young people are often the least likely to vote, so it’s important for Democratic candidates to find something that will energize young people and get them out to the polls.”
Anna McWebb, a PhD student in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, whose research focuses on political activism and queer meme-ification in digital media, also says the “Brat” trend is a good thing for boosting the Democratic Party’s popularity among Gen Z voters.
“What branding and social media phenomena are being used in political campaigns matters because that’s how people, particularly Gen Z, are engaging with modern politics.”
McWebb said Charlie XCX’s tweets supporting Harris prove this notion.
“Brat’s involvement in this political movement is a very powerful cultural endorsement.”
But she pointed out that Harris’ personification of the “brat” is to some extent metaphorical.
“The essence of ‘Brat’ is not necessarily about defining someone as a Brat, but about being politically aggressive, provocative and vulnerable, and I think those are qualities that younger generations will be looking to see in Harris’ upcoming political campaign.”
She agreed with Selepak that the slime green trend was an attractive association with the election for young people.
“The ‘brattification’ of Kamala Harris appears to have galvanized some kind of grassroots enthusiasm for her candidacy,” McWebb said.
Selepak said the trend helped connect Gen Z voters to the Democratic campaign, but he’s not sure it will have staying power come November. The question is how long it will take for the “Brat” trend’s popularity to wane, he said.
Memes evolve quickly, he said: “Once they become mainstream, they’re no longer cool.”
McWebb said online trends don’t necessarily “die,” but rather evolve and change over time as they intertwine with other trends.
But Selepak said social media messaging could be more beneficial than traditional campaigning methods.
“It’s a lot cheaper than traditional messaging. It’s a lot more targeted than traditional media like newspapers, magazines, radio and television. You can measure the impact of social media advertising and social media marketing a lot more than you can measure the impact, engagement and effectiveness of social media compared to traditional media.”
For example, the number of likes, comments, and shares on an Instagram post are specific metrics that can help you determine which messages are effective in your campaigns.
In this case, Harris’ campaign is following the trend and incorporating it into its brand, as seen in her own bright green X rebranding.
The “brat” trend was an easy way for Harris to connect with pop culture, McWebb said, and its simple structure makes it easy to customize.
“It can be creatively woven into other templates and other creative mimetic expressions,” she said.
McWebb said the “brat” trend had expanded into the political sphere after already being a thriving cultural phenomenon.
“It was here to stay. Gen Z was using ‘Brat’ for TikTok dances, branding and aesthetics.”
Internet culture has set the precedent for the “brat” trend, McWebb explained. By assigning themes to summers, like last year’s “Barbie Summer,” the stage is set for “Brat Summer” in 2024.
“Obviously, that’s a carryover from previous movements.”
McWebb said the “brat” trend resonates so well with Gen Z because of its authenticity and relevance to other trends.
She connected the album to the rave, dance and queer cultures that are already part of Charli XCX’s overall brand.
“Her brand has always been connected to the web and internet culture,” McWebb said. “She [Charli XCX] It prescribes luxury and vulgarity at the same time.”
