Have you or someone you know been inundated by an inherently putrid shade of green all summer long? How about being told you’re “so Julia” or wearing fur coats, knee-high stiletto boots and little else to the club?
Chances are you are experiencing a Brat Summer.
Brat Summer is an absolute behemoth of a pop-culture phenomenon. This rave culture crusade is spearheaded by none other than British musician Charli xcx, who released the titular album, leading to its subsequent tidal wave of popularity, June 2024.
It is nearly impossible to distill Brat Summer into a potion of grungy aesthetics and hyper-feminine edginess that is able to be bottled up and memorialized for generations to come; this impossibility stems from the fact that Brat Summer is an intangible, electric feeling as much as it is a period of time.
As Charli xcx skyrocketed even further into the sphere of internet popularity, so did another prominent female figure: Vice President Kamala Harris — albeit for more comedic, yet political, reasons.
It’s hard to pinpoint where the Harris memes really even began in the first place — perhaps because society seems to have a real issue with a professional woman who happens to laugh. A lot.
For the sake of this article, let’s say the meme-ification of the Democratic presidential candidate started with her bit about the coconut tree: During a speech, Harris shared an anecdote from her childhood, during which her mother would ask Harris and her sister if they “think [they] just fell out of a coconut tree?”
She then switched tones and implored her audience to look deeper within themselves, lamenting that we all “exist in the context of all in which we live and came before [us],” producing a juxtaposition with her previous statement that many social media users across the nation found to be quite “bratty,” by Charli xcx’s definition of the term.
Because Gen-Z is, frankly, hilarious, a remix of the track “360” off of “Brat,” which included the coconut tree segment combined with Harris’ iconic laugh as the backing “instrumental” track, began to circulate the internet.
Most politicians in her position would prioritize their hard outer shells and gruff, all-American personas, subsequently ignoring any memes about them entirely. Yet, in what this writer argues is the single most intelligent campaign tactic yet, Harris took quite the opposite path.
Seizing upon this once-in-a-generation branch of the pop culture timeline, the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign marketing team has seemingly embraced an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” sort of mentality.
Somehow, some way, it is actually working. The “New York Times”/Siena Poll recently found Harris is dominating Trump in some red states, such as Arizona, where Harris is beating Trump within likely voters 50% to 45%.
Moreover, through her targeted, on-trend social media campaign, Harris is beginning to win over Gen-Z. According to NPR, “Vice President Harris is bolstering her outreach to young people just in time for students to head back to school” while “the campaign enjoys an increase in support among Gen Z and younger millennial voters.”
There is a distinct brilliance that has manifested as a result of Harris’ social media team’s cunning approach to her campaign promotion — one that is visibly working out in her favor. Thanks to the girls, gays and Jack Schlossberg (JFK’s only living grandson and Vogue’s political correspondent), it is quite possible that Harris could actually meme her way into the Oval Office.
That’s not to say, however, that Harris’ humorous tendencies belittle her professional capabilities — at present, she is one of global politics’ most prominent figures. Moreover, Harris is actively trailblazing a new path for young women everywhere, activating them to pursue their dreams. Thanks to her grit, having a female president isn’t solely a fantastical hypothetical anymore. Harris has worked for years to get to where she is now — no amount of internet lore can or should undermine her endurance.
I digress — the real moral of the story here is: if you ever plan to run for political office, hire a Gen-Z intern. It’ll work in your favor.
Although, maybe don’t listen to me — following instructions is not really Brat.
![The Paris 2024 Olympic swimming pool is filled with bright lights and spectators. The Olympic games were held from July 26 to Aug. 11. While the event is meant to symbolize global unity, athletes from non-Western countries were met with accusations and scrutiny. [Paris 2024 Olympic Games] by [Roman Koksarov] is licensed under [CC BY 4.0.].](https://archeroracle.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/53891226234_11677c1e9f_o-1-1200x831.jpg)
