Apparently, even Kamala Harris is having a “summer of sass” this year.
Harris’ presidential campaign has leaned into a social media fad based on Charli XCX’s latest album.
Here’s what we know about the “selfish” trend and what it has to do with the vice president’s run at the White House.
What does “Brat Summer” mean and how did the trend start?
“Brat” is the title of the sixth studio album by British pop star Charli XCX, released on June 7, 2024.
The album’s cover art features the word “brat” in vertical black Arial font against a lime green background.
In an interview with TikTok, Charli XCX explained the meaning of the word “brat,” which she uses to describe herself.
“You’re like that girl who’s a little bit messy and likes to party and might say stupid things sometimes,” she says, “who feels like herself but who can also be mentally drained, but who likes to party through it.”
She added that Gaki is “very honest, very forthright and a little quirky.”
Charli XCX’s fanbase is primarily Gen Z and millennials who have embraced the “brat” lifestyle, with many declaring this summer “Brat Summer.”
While summer 2023’s social media trends were characterised by bubblegum pink and a “clean girl” aesthetic inspired by Barbie movies, summer 2024 is proclaimed to be the opposite.
Charli’s iconic lime green album cover has been used as the base for many viral memes and TikTok edits, and her “Brat Summer” trend is centered around a messier, “party” aesthetic.
Nevertheless, despite its traditional definition, the word “brat” is used as a term of endearment by Charlie and her fans alike.
What does “brat” have to do with Kamala Harris?
Hours after President Biden announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Harris, Charlie XCX took to social media to show his support, tweeting, “Kamala is a brat.”
The tweet went viral, garnering nearly 30 million views in just 16 hours, and sparked a rebranding of the Harris campaign.
The campaign’s X account, formerly known as “Biden-Harris HQ,” has been renamed simply “Kamala HQ” and features a new brat-themed header.
Charli XCX fans have also created viral videos combining clips of Harris speaking with songs from the album.
In addition to the brat references, the campaign’s social media accounts have also incorporated “coconut tree” and “Venn diagram” memes in reference to the vice president.
The account posted a Venn diagram meme on Sunday night after Biden withdrew, after a video of Harris talking about her love of Venn diagrams went viral.
Additionally, the Kamala HQ account profile now says “Providing Context,” which many believe refers to a viral video of Harris speaking in 2023, in which she says, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of everything you live for and everything that came before you.”
