Brat girl summer

Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, Brat, on 7 June, and in turn, has unleashed a cultural phenomenon which has spread like wildfire since the release. This has culminated into what is commonly referred to as ‘brat girl summer’. But what is a ‘brat girl summer’? More importantly, how do we lead a ‘brat girl summer’?

The style of ‘brat girl summer’, while maintaining honest and blunt energy, centres around club fashion

Charli XCX, with Nick Grimshaw, defined ‘brat summer’ as a diverse experience which “can go that way, like, quite like luxury, but it can also be so, like, trashy” which means whether we’re dipping into that overdraft, or our summer jobs are bulking up those bank accounts, we can all embrace ’brat girl summer’. She describes ‘brat’ as less of an aesthetic but more as an attitude – with Off The Record – describing a ‘brat’ as someone who’s “very honest, very blunt, and a little bit volatile”. This description demonstrates the importance of authenticity in not only your thoughts and beliefs, but also your actions, which is an essential part of ‘brat girl summer’. She further posted ‘“fyi a big part of brat summer is having a reluctant bf who’s frankly over it <33” as well as “another big part of brat summer is having a gay bsf who is *not* over it”. This should be interpreted to understand that a ‘brat summer’ is not inherently meant to be palatable for everyone and the girls that get it, get it, and the girls that don’t, don’t.

Now that we have some ground rules provided by the founder, muse, and cult leader for ‘brat girl summer’ – let’s discuss aesthetics. Brat, as an album, is centred around a party girl, club lifestyle. Charli describes the lyrics for ‘365’ as being “about this crazy night out’ and the progression of the night out in a superclub” and “I might say something stupid” being “a song about the morning after”. Therefore, the style of ‘brat girl summer’, while maintaining honest and blunt energy, centres around club fashion. This is undeniably broad, but some ‘brat girl’ essentials could be ‘baby tees’ with explicit statements portrayed in simple fonts paired with a plethora of accessories to amplify your looks – notably sunglasses, snagged tights, a statement purse, and some stand-out shoes. The colour palette tends to be black and white alongside the distinctive ‘brat green’ which features on the cover of the album.

Charli XCX released a further three songs in the deluxe edition of Brat, Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not. This release provided further features and motifs which assist in defining a ‘brat girl summer’. Notably, the penultimate track ‘Guess’ is about reclaiming sexuality, with curiosity, confidence, and control. This further focuses on feelings of self-confidence, autonomy, and liberation towards self-expression and experimentation which should take priority during your ‘brat girl summer’. Finally, ‘Spring Breakers’ engages in themes of rebellion and chaos, encouraging defiance of convention in favour of authenticity.

Charli XCX’s ‘brat girl summer’ is ultimately embedded by authenticity

In the spirit of ‘The girl, so confusing version with lorde’, ‘brat girl summer’ continues to emphasise honesty when acknowledging insecurities and feelings of jealousy in an attempt to achieve closure and clear the air. This ultimately is rooted in the reality that living a truly authentic and volatile lifestyle, one that ‘brat girl summer’ hinges upon, can only continue and thrive if you can pick up the pieces left by your bluntness and volatility. A further aspect of a ‘brat girl summer’ that remix encompasses, is the importance of uplifting and supporting other ‘brats’ with empathy and accountability.

Charli XCX’s ‘brat girl summer’ is ultimately embedded by authenticity, and with that in mind, I believe we should all be leading a ‘brat girl summer’. Even if the club isn’t your thing, and you don’t like baby tees, I hope we either start, or continue this summer, being genuine and true to ourselves.