by Yolanda Zhezhe Gao
Charli xcx released her sixth studio album brat on the 7th of June 2024: Unsurprisingly, its distinctive sound and neon green aesthetic captured everybody’s attention in no time. The album challenges the expectations of pop music, from being emotional and honest on ‘So I’, ‘Girl, so confusing,’ and ‘I think about it all the time,’ to dancing your hearts out on ‘Club classics,’ ‘365,’ and ‘Spring breakers.’ However, aside from that, it also introduced its own distinct vibe among the fashion girlies this summer, with a variation of personalised boards full of ‘bratty’ outfit inspirations popping up all over social media.
To set a bit of technical knowledge, the title of the album being written in a lower-case font and plastered on a lime green background is an unconventional design used in the best way possible. A good album cover reflects the music, and brat is all about authenticity and imperfections. In its essence, which is reflected through its fashion aesthetic, brat is about being a messy girl dancing at the club, bumpin’ drugs, and staying up until early morning, all the while feeling a sense of existential dread linger upon you. Many have resonated with her diverse lyrics; being a party girl, mental health struggles, being a woman, relationships and being unapologetically true to yourself. In her song ‘Girl, so confusing’ Charli expresses her insecurity around her friendship with Lorde, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if you like me. Sometimes I think you might hate me’ to which on the remix Lorde responds with her own insecurities of her body ‘I was trapped in the hatred and your life seemed so awesome. I never thought for a second my voice was in your head.’ She explores the idea of motherhood in ‘I think about it all the time’ which is arguably the most intimate and vulnerable song of this album. The self-doubt and obsession with how others perceive you is relatable to a variety of people. And that kind of honesty is the reason people gravitate towards the album and its association.
It is impossible to talk about the brat album without talking about brat summer. According to Charli, the brat aesthetic is ‘That girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes.’
This playful ‘bratty’ aesthetic is the reason why the album became popularised throughout the many TikTok for-you pages this summer, which eventually led to one of the most exciting parts of the brat marketing campaign; the ‘brat wall’ in Greenpoint, New York City. Its story began a month prior to the album release, when Charli xcx tweeted the address and held a surprise performance on top of a black SUV truck as she played ‘360,’ whilst being surrounded by screaming fans. The wall has gained its own personal touch to it, by being painted and repainted with messages like ‘i’m your fav reference,’ and then the title ‘brat,’ before it was painted over in white. Each change was watched and decoded through twitter livestreams, until the ‘bratty’ ‘okay bye!’ text in early July ended things permanently — though it left behind an enormous impact. It’s difficult to say when the masses claimed brat as the theme for summer 2024. However, by the end of July, anything light green was described as brat-coded, whether it was a vending machine, a parking ticket, the green m&m, or the countless brat green profile pictures made using the brat generator. Another notable trend includes the Apple Dance created by Kelley Heyer, a content creator from New York, which has even been performed by Charli herself.
Circling back to fashion, as with most trends, people posted outfits of what they interpreted as brat fashion, as videos of must-haves and essentials for brat summer took off on TikTok and other social media platforms. Charli expressed that ‘a pack of cigs… a Bic lighter, and, like, a strappy white top. With no bra. That’s, like, kind of all you need.’ The brat aesthetic is essentially a rebellion of social ideals as a whole. Being a brat is dressing without caring about other people’s opinions; a little chaotic, edgy and fun. It is seen as the antithesis of past trends such as the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. However, despite this care-free attitude, fans soon expressed disappointment when Charli announced a collaboration with H&M, the fast fashion company known for environmental pollution and workers exploitation, wishing that she worked with another company. It also didn’t help that they were unimpressed by the basic designs.
In the end, the album itself was nominated for seven Grammy awards. And perhaps unsurprisingly, the word ‘brat’ has recently been announced as the official Collins Dictionary word of the year, defined as someone ‘characterised as confident, independent and with a hedonistic attitude.’ Brat as an album and cultural phenomenon has carved its place in the landscape, but beyond those achievements, in a few years’ time, the nostalgia for 2024 will always be for the brat summer aesthetic.
