There’s a new aesthetic on the rise, and it comes courtesy of the “cult-classic” pop star Charli XCX. Welcome to brat summer!
By Christopher Turner
Every summer seems to take on a new theme that’s adjacent with style trends. There’s been hot girl summer, tomato girl summer, and last year’s Barbie summer as moviegoers worldwide sported pink looks to see Greta Gerwig’s record-smashing Barbie film. Now we are in the midst of the summer of the “brat.”
If you’ve scrolled around social media recently, you’ve probably seen at least one brat summer meme. It’s such a hit that US Vice President Kamala Harris joined in on the viral trend after President Joe Biden endorsed her as the Democratic presidential nominee on Sunday afternoon by topping the official @kamalahq account on X with a brat style banner.
The hashtag #bratsummer has been tagged in over 40,000 videos on TikTok and 14,000 posts on Instagram. The term has also been on a steady incline worldwide, according to Google Trends, since the first week of June. As a result, the past weeks have become awash with lurid green, and fast. Wondering what the new aesthetic trend is all about? Read on and we’ll catch you up on all things brat summer.
What is brat summer?
On June 7, 2024 British pop star Charli XCX dropped her latest album brat, an album that many music fans instantly dubbed the album of the summer. The feel-good project is jam-packed with lively beats inspired to make you work up a sweat while you dance the night away with your besties. The album celebrates individuality with nods to eclectic personalities with phrases like “I’m so Julia,” which celebrates Julia Fox, who appears in Charli’s “360” music video.
Along with uptempo party girl anthems, Charli XCX’s brat album is grabbing everyone’s attention because it comes in a vibrant green shade that took time and effort. In an Instagram post, Charli XCX revealed that she “narrowed down around 65 shades of green” to achieve “the final, most ultimate, most brat green.”
Technically speaking the vivid brat green hue sits somewhere between 360 and 375 on the Pantone colour chart.
Charli XCX offered Rolling Stone UK a helpful explanation of the viral aesthetic. According to the pop star, brat summer is “about this sort of behaviour that everybody adopts on the internet, whether you’re a Twitter troll or whether you’re dancing to Addison Rae on TikTok,” she explained. “There is this element of unabashed, shameless, Me-centric content that is being made, but I also think behind that is a lot of people who use that as a protective layer,” she continued. “Brattiness is a cloack. You’re only a brat if you’re acting out against something that made you feel a little bit insecure.”
How to get the brat summer look?
Brat summer is all about dancing with your besties, catching flights, and serving lewks — slay. Still confused on how to get the brat summer aesthetic and serve a few of your own lewks? Just ask yourself, “what would a Bratz doll wear?”
According to Charli XCX, brat style is all about duality. “It can go that way kind of quiet luxury but it can also be like so trashy,” she explained in a recent TikTok. “A strappy white top with no bra that’s like kind of all you need.” From lively-coloured baby tees to chic, Y2K-inspired accessories there are so many fun ways to dress like a brat this summer.
Charli XCX said on the Anything Goes podcast that upon writing the album, she envisioned the ultimate brat as a girl out on the town, sweating in the club, and wearing a simple white tank top. Her imagined muse went on to inspire more tracks, like “365,” a remixed anthem that calls out French manicures, and “Mean girls,” which invokes imagery of sheer white dresses and last night’s makeup. Defined by sexy and mischievous staples like micro hems, liquid leather, heavy hardware, platform boots, and beyond, the vibe is eclectic ’90s, meets Y2K, meets now. It’s chic in an if-you-know-you-know kind of way. But it’s not rocket science.
Not feeling it? Don’t worry brat green and the brat summer aesthetic might have claimed summer 2024, but it’s only a matter of time until the colour wheel spins again and a new aesthetic trend takes over.
