Cover photo by Emily Patnaude
Brat summer is here baby!! If your social media feed has been suddenly filled with a particular shade of lime green, then it's time for you to jump on the bandwagon. But wait--what is brat summer? If you're trying to get in on the fun but have no idea wtf I'm talking about, no worries, I'm giving you the brat summer 101.
First things first-- if you're not listening to the BRAT album, you're already a little behind. No worries though, put it on while you finish reading the rest of this blog post.
Where did brat summer come from?
If you're unfamiliar with our lord and savior, Charli XCX, it's time for an introduction. I'm not going to give you her whole life story when Wikipedia literally exists, but basically, in June, she dropped one of the best pop albums of the year and everyone is freaking out (rightfully so). This lime green masterpiece has quickly become the soundtrack of the summer and snowballed into a lifestyle of its own.
Understanding the brat summer aesthetic
In an interview with Charli XCX, she was asked what her brat summer essentials would be after posting a video of herself on a speedboat, to which she responded, “It can go that way — quite like luxury, but it can also be so trashy, just like a pack of cigs and a BIC lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.”
Last year we had Rat Girl Summer and this is pretty much the same thing in a different font decorated with lime green wrapping paper.
Key elements of the brat summer aesthetic
white tank top, no bra (Charli said it herself)
digital camera
slept in makeup
gas station sunglasses
no capital letters
cigarettes with a BIC lighter (DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER)
filthy dirty slutty martinis
anything neon green (obvi)
the exact opposite of the clean girl aesthetic
Why is the brat aesthetic popular?
Obviously, anytime a pop star releases a new album people will be buzzing, however, BRAT has taken the internet by storm. Pop music is definitely having a moment but the brat lifestyle has become very appealing to the girls, gays, and theys (honorary mention to the straight brat boys). Many people have grown tired of the clean girl aesthetic and its unattainable standards, and in doing so, becoming more enamored with the raw and messy lifestyle the brat aesthetic has to offer.
Conclusion
While most aesthetics are also a lifestyle, this one takes on an attitude as well. I'll leave you with this quote from Charli in her latest Vogue Singapore interview "I wanted to go with an offensive, off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong. I’d like for us to question our expectations of pop culture—why are some things considered good and acceptable, and some things deemed bad? I’m interested in the narratives behind that and I want to provoke people. I’m not doing things to be nice."
Explore more on brat summer
For more inspiration and ideas on how to embrace the brat summer aesthetic, check out these resources:
Dupe: We won't be adding a brat summer category to our family of aesthetics but you can always search "brat" to see what's popping up on Dupe
Pinterest Boards: Take a look at our brat summer Pinterest board for more visual inspo
Music: Listen to our brat summer playlist on Spotify the next time you need some background music
click to shop our brat summer essentials
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