‘Kamala really hired chronically online Gen Z interns omg she knows her market trump beware,’ commented an X User after Kamala Harris' campaign embraced Charli XCX brat summer theme for her X account.
Pop culture inspired ‘brat’ aesthetic—characterized by its slime-green colour, self-awareness, and clubbing culture—has taken over Kamala's campaign soon after pop sensation Charli XCX called her a ‘Brat’. A post uploaded soon after Biden endorsed her for president went viral with 45million views and triggered a barrage of memes and viral videos infusing British pop star Charli XCX’s album “Brat” with clips of Harris.
To counter toxic and hateful Donald Trump campaign messaging, Harris’s campaign has embraced the Brat theme, incorporating the bright green and minimalist style of Charli XCX’s album cover. She is being referred to as the Coconut Queen after Kamala's viral video - "My mother used to—she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris said. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."
{{/usCountry}}To counter toxic and hateful Donald Trump campaign messaging, Harris’s campaign has embraced the Brat theme, incorporating the bright green and minimalist style of Charli XCX’s album cover. She is being referred to as the Coconut Queen after Kamala's viral video - "My mother used to—she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris said. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."
{{/usCountry}}This quirky statement has become a rallying cry for her supporters. Now, the Brat theme is gaining similar traction, with even lawmakers joining in.
Ryan Long, a 22-year-old college student, created one of the most viral Harris fancam videos, pairing the presidential candidate with imagery from *Brat*.
“In today’s society, it’s easy to feel powerless,” Long told the Washington Post. “Getting politically involved can be daunting. Sometimes, all you can do is create edits and tweet.”
What does it mean to be Brat?
Being a brat typically means misbehaving. Charli XCX’s album explores themes of sadness and insecurity in life choices and friendships, while also celebrating success and the joy of partying. This concept challenges societal norms that rarely allow women to be both confident and vulnerable.
“You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,” Charli XCX explained in a TikTok video. “Who feels like herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.”
Though Charli XCX hasn’t elaborated on why she thinks Harris embodies Brat, the vice president’s laughter and playful remarks have been widely memed and used by the right wing to humiliate her.
Kamala Harris's TikTok campaign- I'm the Femininomenon
Even as Kamala's campaign went for Charli XCX's brat theme for her X account her TikTok account went and infused her with Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon.”
What is Femininomenon?
Chappell Roan explained the meaning of her music album in February this year, she said, "We just kind of obviously made the word up. But it was about like how it’s a phenomenon if like sleeping with a man is better than sleeping with a girl, from my perspective, at least. So I was like, 'It’s a phenomenon, but it’s also feminine.' And so we just kind of mushed it together."
A rally call for feminism the song endorses the idea of women empowerment becoming a phenomenon and theme of the season, "because women know what they need, just like men but need to acknowledge it.