The Politics of “Brat Summer”

It’s "brat summer,” thanks to Charli XCX with the release of her highly anticipated album Brat on June 7th. This vibrant, rebellious, and unapologetically fun concept quickly painted the internet a vivid shade of lime green, embodying a philosophy of enjoying life to the fullest despite the challenges we face. But this cultural phenomenon has now found an unexpected ally in the political arena, joining the conversation around the 2024 presidential race.

The Intersection of Pop Culture and Politics

When President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the internet responded with a flood of “Harris-brat” memes. The connection between Charli XCX’s album and Harris’s campaign was solidified when Charli XCX tweeted, “Kamala IS brat,” a post that has since garnered over 53 million views.

Vice President Harris, now the anticipated Democratic presidential nominee, embraced this trend, adopting the album’s distinctive lime-green background and lowercase font across her campaign accounts on TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. This strategic alignment with the “brat” aesthetic taps into the cultural zeitgeist.

Tracking the “Brat” Narrative

The spread of the “brat” narrative can be tracked through its mentions on social media, particularly on X. The volume of posts on X mentioning “brat” spiked significantly on June 7th, the day of Charli XCX's album release, and saw another surge on July 22nd, following Charli XCX's influential tweet, “Kamala IS brat.” The latter spike, with 107,120 posts, was about 12% lower than the initial album release spike, which saw 120,641 posts.

Kamala Harris’s association with the “brat” concept began to gain traction on July 2nd and surged dramatically on June 21st, the day President Biden endorsed her. Mentions of Kamala Harris and “brat” soared from an average of 22 posts per day to 48,731 posts on June 21st, marking a staggering ~200% increase compared to the previous week.

The Entrance of “Brat Summer”

The idea of a “brat summer” has only intensified as July progressed. On July 15th, there were around 20,000 posts about “brat summer.” This trend peaked again on July 21st, coinciding with President Biden’s announcement and Charli XCX’s tweet, maintaining high levels of mentions through the following day. This sustained spike suggests that “brat summer” is not merely a fleeting trend but a concept entering mainstream discourse, particularly in the context of Kamala Harris’s campaign.

This persistence points to a broader cultural and political moment, where the lines between pop culture and politics blur, creating a powerful narrative that resonates with the public.

Conclusion

The fusion of Charli XCX’s Brat album and Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign illustrates the potent impact of cultural phenomena on political narratives. In embracing the “brat” ethos, Kamala Harris not only modernizes her campaign but also connects with a broader movement of resilience amidst adversity.