The British English Dictionary Collins Dictionary has chosen the word of the year - "brat". And, if earlier it meant an uncontrollable child, now "brat" symbolizes independence, confidence and real hedonism. This lifestyle has become popular since the release of the Charli XCX album in June 2024. Upon its release on June 7, the album and its sassy aesthetic have literally taken over pop culture, ranging from underground clubs to political memes, writes Times.
Over time, the style of the Charli XCX album became a whole lifestyle that Generation Z and millennials loved. And while summer is officially over, the "brat" trend continues to live on — something hinted at by Charlie XCX herself when she wished fans a "happy fall of brat" at a party at the Storm King Art Center on October 10.
The album "Brat" even got into a mini-crossword puzzle The New York Times On September 23, where the mystery was: "Charlie XCX 2024 album with lime green cover". Full of dance-pop beats, the album explores the themes of parties, the Von Dutch brand and femininity, and he himself inspired TikTok dance, marketing campaigns and fashion trends. All this gave rise to the term "brat summer".
The next day, October 11, the singer released a long-awaited remix album called «Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat».
Charlie XCX also embodies the brat image on tour on the "Sweat" tour with Australian singer Troy Sivan, which began in Detroit on September 14 and ended in Seattle on October 23.
What is "Brat Summer"?
The evolution of "brat" is not just a transformation of the word, but a reflection of new standards dictated by youth movements. However, 2024 has given the language a few more bright novelties:
- supermajority - a major political victory for one party;
- looksmaxxing - the trend for maximum improvement of appearance;
- romantasy is a genre that combines romance and fantasy.
These words are a mirror of modern moods, trends and values that dictate new rules of the game.
The "brat summer" trend is inspired by the album Charlie XCX "Brat", which debuted at number three on the chart Billboard immediately after the release on June 7. Fans were captivated by the album's minimalist cover with the inscription "brat" on a low-resolution lime background.
Immediately after the album's release, Gen Z announced the start of the "brat" season, an aesthetic trend characterized by a bold style, "party" life, and lime green color scheme. In this relaxed, casual style, elements of other TikTok trends, such as the "summer of the feral girls" and the "summer of the rat girls", are easily guessed.
The trend quickly took over TikTok, and tens of thousands of posts gathered under the hashtag #bratsummer. Although the word "brat" is usually associated with teenage whims, "brat summer" is about the idea of accepting one's shortcomings and being confident in chaos.
In an Instagram post on June 8, Charlie XCX described the album's philosophy as "me, my flaws, my failures, my ego – all in one". She explained the meaning of "brat" in Video on TikTok:
"You're just that girl who is a little sloppy, loves parties, sometimes says stupid things. Self-confident, but sometimes vulnerable. But she continues to dance, honest, straightforward. A little unpredictable. He does stupid things. But this is brat. You're brat. This is brat," Charlie tells XCX.
Brat Summer trends
Brat green quickly became the color of this season, leaving last year's ubiquitous pink Barbie far behind.
For some New Yorkers, lime green is everywhere: Charlie XCX celebrated the release of the album Bratlive performance at the huge green wall in Williamsburg. The wall was repainted to promote remixes and deluxe versions of the album (e.g. brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not) and posted her final message, "OK, bye!", on July 2.
Apart from the album's official merchandise, which includes, of course, a lime green crop top with a huge low-resolution "brat" lettering, the philosophy of brat has also penetrated into summer fashion. Brat is the exact opposite of the "clean style" that has taken over fashion in 2022. It celebrates the mess and chaos of party life: smeared makeup, street style, and references to Y2K.
Charlie XCX described the style of brat in an interview The News Movement June 10: "It could be trashy. For example, a pack of cigarettes and a Bic lighter. A white bra-free strap top is all you need."
Brat, TikTok, and Apple's viral dance
One of the most viral brat trends on TikTok is an incendiary dance to a song Apple From the album. The dance, created by Charlie XCX fan Kelly Heyer, quickly became popular among the singer's fans. Charlie XCX herself recorded several videos with this dance. Heyer, after seeing her idol perform her choreography, admitted that she was stunned and glad that her dance had become something more.
For her brat is everything: parties, sincerity, community. "Brat is fun, brat is messy, brat is sexy. Brat can be anything," Heyer says.
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