If there was one album to describe this past summer, it would be Brat by Charlie XCX. The high-energy club classics of the album quickly spread in popularity across the internet through TikTok dances and viral memes, establishing a memory for the summer.
The word “brat” usually implies a negative connotation towards someone’s attitude. After this summer, Charlie XCX has changed the meaning. According to the Pop Culture Dictionary, “the word brat refers to someone who is confidently rebellious, unapologetically bold, and playfully defiant.”
Kamala Harris experienced Brat Summer to its full effect. Harris not only acknowledged the trend of being “Brat” but she embraced it as well. When Harris was officially nominated to be the Democratic party candidate for the Presidential election, her HQ team on X (formerly known as Twitter) used the the bright brat green and arial font of Charlie’s album for her account’s header.
The HQ team’s use of the “Brat” trend led to the creation of goofy TikTok edits of Harris dancing to “Apple” by Charlie XCX.
Another popular meme of Harris involved a moment from a speech at a White House ceremony in which she states, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” Following her presidency nomination, some supporters have called her candidacy “Operation Coconut Tree.”
What does it mean for Harris to be “Brat”? For one of the first times in history, a presidential nominee understands the power of the younger generation and their connection with memes and has used this in an extremely effective way to promote their campaign. When President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in late July, there was an underlying panic in the Democratic Party. No one truly knew who Harris was beyond being the Vice President with a contagious laugh. Harris’s team knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to embrace internet trends and use what the younger generation enjoys, as they successfully popularized her campaign and interested younger people in voting.
Harris and her team have changed the way future presidential campaigns will be presented. Younger people have become interested in Harris and for the first time in a long time, the younger generation feels like they are being listened to.
If Harris keeps up with the trends, more people will be eager to learn, register and vote in early November.
