Summer of the brats: That's why Kamala Harris is now a "brat girl"

Brigitte Summer of the brats: That's why Kamala Harris is now a "brat girl" Eva Carolin Keller/Brigitte • 15 hours • 4 minutes reading time That's why Kamala Harris is now a brat girl This summer we are all brat, even US Vice President Kamala Harris. Find out what the trend is all about and what we can learn from it here. A four-letter word is currently circulating through the vastness of the internet, on bright green tiles and with simple font, it is particularly at home on Instagram and TikTok. We are talking about "brat". Brat Girl Summer is being proclaimed on social networks - and even Kamala Harris, who wants to run for the presidential election in the USA, is now brat. If you're thinking: 'Brat? Never heard of it!' - no problem! We'll explain what the pop culture phenomenon is all about. Summer of the brats calls for hedonism "Brat" translates as "brat" and means something like cheeky, snotty, messy and nonconformist - it describes an entire attitude to life. This summer, the casual, grunge-inspired chic with its "I don't care" attitude is replacing the perfectly staged, beige "clean girl" aesthetic. Instead of a morning routine with a green smoothie, there is coffee and cigarettes. And we have British pop singer Charli XCX to thank for that. She released her new album entitled "brat" in June 2024: On the cover, the lettering is emblazoned in simple typography against a bright green background. It almost looks a bit like it was homemade in Paint - and that's what it's supposed to be. The carefree, a little bit spit-on sums up the whole phenomenon. Because a brat girl is anything but perfect. To quote Charli XCX, she has a "pack of cigarettes and a Bic lighter with her and a white tank top with no bra on." She laughs dirty, sometimes in inappropriate places, doesn't take herself too seriously and sometimes skips her skincare routine. She has given up on the pursuit of constant self-optimization and celebrates life. Charli XCX's album not only rocketed to number 2 in the charts, but also triggered a real brat mania. A crumpled undershirt is the new ruffled top, poison green is the new Barbie pink, Kamala is the new Joe - and brat is now the new cool. In the internet bubble, the US Vice President has long since gone viral as a brat girl. Because on the very elitist and buttoned-up political stage, Harris sometimes rubs people the wrong way and stands out with her feminist values, her nonconformity, her lightness - and sometimes with her laugh. Everything is fried - and "Kamala IS fried" This is also confirmed by a video that is currently circulating on TikTok and in which various appearances by Harris have been edited together. One of them is based on a speech from 2023 about educational opportunities for Latin American citizens. In it, the Vice President explains: "My mother always said to us: I don't know what's wrong with you young people. Do you think you fell from a coconut tree?" She laughs her famous laugh and then switches to a former tone: "We all exist in a context of what is now and what was before." The sentence "Do you think you fell from a coconut tree?" can be seen later in the TikTok video in question. It was of course taken completely out of context and edited together with other clips in which Harris laughs loudly, dances or takes part in the Pride parade in a colorful jacket. The entire work was given a bright green filter in the most brat manner possible and accompanied by the first song "360" from Charli XCX's album. More bratness please As if that wasn't enough bratness homage for Harris, singer Charli XCX herself gave the green light. On the "X" platform, she expressed her support for the Vice President and officially declared her a brat girl with the words "Kamala IS brat". Harris' social media team didn't hesitate for long, seized the momentum and promptly changed the header of Kamala Harris' "X" account (Joe Biden's former account) to a bright green banner with "Kamala HQ" written in brat font. A fitting post was even posted on the Instagram account of the same name, welcoming new followers. If the 59-year-old hasn't hit the bull's eye - or rather, hit the green. We can take a cue from Kamala Harris and her team - who are using a pop culture internet trend for their election campaign almost in real time - and all the other brat girls this summer. A little less perfectionism and a little more life is the new motto.