I knew the energy of the 2024 election was shifting weeks ago while scrolling X, formerly Twitter.
On July 3, I saw a fancam of Vice President Kamala Harris set to “The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook” posted by user @ryanlong03. Since then, it has become impossible to untangle the rise of Harris from the release of the album “BRAT” by Charli XCX.
It's the kind of grassroots enthusiasm Gen Z progressives had hoped for with Harris at the helm. Since I first saw that video, the "chronically online" content has yet to peter off.
The lime green shade of the album cover has haunted memes and videos about Harris, even leading the official campaign X account to use a brat-ified version header that reads “kamala hq.” Charli XCX has weighed in on the trend, declaring that “kamala IS brat” to her social media followers. Older folks may not know who she is, but that endorsement results in a priceless amount of engagement for Harris’ campaign.
The phenomenon has even led to conversations among pundits about what “brat” even means.
“I think you aspire to be ‘brat,’ ” Kaitlan Collins told Jake Tapper on a CNN panel this week. “You don’t just become ‘brat.’ ”
Collins is right – being a brat is no longer an insult for the........