Are you brat? The Charli XCX trend explained

It’s official. Lime green (officially Pantone shade 3570-C) is the colour of summer 2024 – a far cry from 2023’s Barbie pink. Derived directly from the cover of Charli XCX’s sixth album, “Brat”, the colour and the name seem befitting of this year’s almost feral, anxiety-inducing mood that leaves no room for quiet minimalism.

It’s entrenched itself even further in pop culture when Charli posted “Kamala IS [sic] brat” in July, playfully labelling the presidential candidate with the term due to her unapologetic, bold demeanour.

Kamala Harris’ campaign has leaned in, changing its social media banners to the same green with her name written in the same Arial font as the album cover.

Visually, Brat is that look you sport after a wild night out – sleazy yet intentional. Think – white vests, black tights, oversized slogan tees, and sunglasses. It’s all about Y2K nostalgia, which, let’s be honest, seems poised to stay for a long time.

But it’s more than just the look. In fact, brat summer is a mood characterised by its grimy, sweaty vibe and a feral party-girl energy infused with a hint of millennial anxiety.

It’s a nod to the not-so-perfect girl. In interviews and on TikTok, Charli has explained that “Brat summer can be either luxurious or trashy”, and brat is “just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”.

Basically – brat seems to be a multi-faceted woman who’s juggling multiple roles, trying to do the right thing, is a little anxious about the future, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. It’s all about embracing freedom and personal expression, thriving on how uniquely you interpret it. Brat Summer might carry a hint of existential dread, but hey, isn’t that just part of the millennial journey?

In one of her new songs, ‘I think about it all the time’, Charli’s lyrics convey a yearning for a more familiar refrain for those of us living through the so-called “panic years”, confronting our own chaos and thoughts about our future, especially our baby timeline. She sings, “I think about it all the time, That I might run out of time.”

In your 20s, the world feels full of endless possibilities. But as time goes on, you start facing irreversible decisions and realise that not everything is as open-ended as it once seemed.

Like many of us grappling with the same millennial ennui, Charli XCX, now 31, voices her curiosity about parenthood while expressing concern about the potential loss of freedom it might bring. Her lyrics, “would it make me miss all my freedom?” reflect this inner conflict.

Ultimately, Brat Summer is all about embracing freedom and personal expression, thriving on how uniquely you interpret it. It might carry a hint of existential dread, but hey, isn’t that just part of the millennial journey?