By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
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Forget all your pink accessories and the clean girl aesthetic because Barbiecore is officially a thing of the past—that was so 2023. Now, it's time to embrace a new style because, in an unexpected turn, this year we have brat summer.
The trend comes courtesy of singer Charli XCX and her latest album, Brat. But it's about more than just the music because brat summer is a way of life. The sleek "it" girls from Instagram won't pass the vibe check—no, brat summer is giving messy grunge and rebellion instead.
So who is embracing this summer's hottest trend? Obviously, Charli XCX is the brat queen, but other notables include Julia Fox (who always keeps things unconventional), singer Lorde and even Kamala Harris. Yes, you read that right: The Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee has made the cut, as Charli XCX tweeted that "Kamala IS brat."
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Harris Brat Memes Explained
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This support may not have been on anyone's bingo card for 2024, but the internet has been awash with memes about the vice president's new brat era. Indeed, the Harris camp is seizing the opportunity by leaning in to the trend, even updating her campaign's social media page with the lime green hue of brat summer.
Harris' brat rebrand was a delightful surprise to millennials and Generation Zers alike, who are loving the creativity of her campaign.
There's no doubt the Harris campaign is entertaining this latest trend and aiming to connect with the younger electorate, but it isn't Harris' first foray into viral meme culture.
Coconut Tree Meme Resurges With POTUS Bid
Who could forget the speech she made at a White House swearing-in ceremony in May 2023, during which she told members of the audience that her mother used to remark: "I don't know what's wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?"
At the time, the comment was met with gentle laughter and amusement, but that was nothing compared with the internet reaction. Twitter was inundated with memes referencing the line, and to this day they still haven't got old.
Following all her recent social media attention, searches for "coconut tree" have spiked in the past few days, according to Google Trends.
Refusing to Feel 'Burdened' by Viral Reactions
The vice president has become very memeable during her time in the spotlight, as who could forget her iconic (albeit confusing) phrase "What can be, unburdened by what has been"?
Those eight words have become somewhat of a slogan, as she repeats them frequently. So often, in fact, that someone has even clipped together all the sound bites of her saying it, which lasts for a staggering four minutes.
Its meaning continues to baffle audiences, but that hasn't stopped them from turning it into yet another viral meme.
So strap in for more of brat summer and coconut tree references because there's still a long way to go in this campaign—and who knows what other memes it's going to gift us?
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