Brat Summer
The Summer of 2024 saw the rise of a new cultural wave among youth — “Brat Summer” — inspired by Charli XCX’s chart-topping album Brat.
With neon greens, strong lyrics, and a bold aesthetic, the trend has spread like wildfire on social media: influencing everything from fashion, to food, to even politics. However, beyond its surface, “Brat Summer” gets into deeper themes of identity, authority, and self-expression. As some students embrace this movement, one must ask: What does it mean to be “brat”?
The album cover features a bright neon green, with black Arial-like font saying “brat” in all lowercase. Released on June 7th, the album gained well over 500 million streams and was featured on the Billboard charts ranked number three. Due to the enjoyment and praise of the album, many fans of — both the album and Charli XCX — titled the summer as “Brat Summer.” Popular news channel Today stated, “Brat Summer is all about accepting your imperfections while embracing the chaos.”
As the album gained popularity, its influence on fashion grew. It incorporated an early and edgy 2000s style. “It can be like, so trashy,” Charli XCX said, when interviewed by Today. Fashion bloggers and influencers have jumped on the trend, flooding social media feeds with #BratSummer looks that showcase their interpretations of this bold style. Some have even noted a revival of DIY fashion, with people customizing their clothes to reflect the raw, unfiltered energy of the "brat" attitude. It’s a rejection of polished perfection in favor of a more authentic, in-your-face, approach to style.
In a culinary aspect, many people have incorporated the bright neon greens in food and drinks, such as matcha, decorated cakes imitating the album cover, and any food that has a similar green.
One can definitely be shocked when they find out that “brat” is grabbing the attention of politicians. While running for the presidency, Vice President, Kamala Harris, and her marketing team made the decision to make their official campaign page, “Brat” green. Additionally, a tweet was put out by Charli XCX saying “kamala IS brat” which gathered significant attention towards her campaign. Many people found this decision to be a smart idea to grab the attention of younger voters according to The Guardian.
It’s clear that “Brat Summer” has shaped a lot of trends and decisions this year, but the question remains: What does it mean to be Brat? “It’s hot pants on a cold night and snow pants on a hot night,” The New Yorker Magazine says, “Brat is a cat, and maybe a rat, but it is never a dog.”
It goes to show that this summer offered young people a way to express their individuality, challenge norms, and embrace a bolder, unapologetic version of themselves.
