New Delhi: Kamala Harris has embraced the term ‘brat’. The US Vice President has kickstarted her campaign for the presidential elections due in November, and ‘bratification’ is just one of the many social media trends that her campaign has picked up.
‘Brat green’, which has become a popular term for bright lime green on the Internet, is being associated with Harris and her presidential campaign.
It all started when British pop singer Charli XCX wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Kamala IS brat”.
BRAT is Charli’s latest music album and she describes “brat” as: “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels like herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.”
Charli’s album was a “defining pop-culture statement” empowering nonconformity and encouraging women to be themselves. Harris, as the first woman, person of colour, and of South Asian descent to reach the top of US political system, broke barriers when she became vice president, and now, with her candidacy for president.
An Instagram handle called @kamalahq, which is campaigning for Harris, posted a carousel that made waves on the Internet. The first image has a brat green background, the second is a screenshot of Charli’s post that read “Kamala IS brat,” and the third is a screenshot in which people can be seen discussing on X the usage of the phrase “Kamala IS brat”.
View this post on Instagram
Highly popular among Gen Z or those born after 1997, “Brat” is just one of the “cool” Internet trends that Harris has leveraged to grab the attention of young voters. She is now “relatable” and is “representing” not just those from immigrant families or ethnic minorities, but also those scrolling social media, looking for confidence and comfort.
She is making news – not only is she in the race to become the US’s first female president, but she is also trying to connect with young voters through social media engagement. Harris is trying to energise youth to go out and vote – and vote for her.
Her engagement with the youth became increasingly important as it were controversies around “age” and “health” that finally led to Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Harris’s campaign has also launched a TikTok account, which was absent from Biden’s campaign.
Calling young voters “disengaged” from the election and “unhappy with the status quo”, Vox reported that they are “upset over the cost of living, worried about health care and abortion rights, and appalled by the war in Gaza, and generally turned off by a rematch between two elderly men”.
In the 48 hours following Biden stepping down and endorsing Harris for president, 40,000 people in the US registered to vote. Of this, 83 percent belonged to the younger generation, and were aged between 18 to 35 years old.
Coconut memes & Beyonce’s ‘Freedom’
Following Charli’s BRAT is Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon”.
The song, released in 2022, has become a rallying cry for feminism, and Harris has used it to her advantage. In a video posted online last week, Harris positioned herself as an alternative to the “white male” Trump using lines like “what we really need” from Roan’s song. Harris is also known to draw inspiration from Beyonce’s song “Freedom” as the singer gave “her blessing” to Harris to use the song for her first presidential campaign video.
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 24, 2024
Harris’s rally in Atlanta Tuesday drew the “largest crowds” as it saw a performance by Megan Thee Stallion. While Georgia was being looked at “as a lost cause”, Harris has reoriented the campaign, and Democrats hope she can motivate young, non-White, and college-educated voters, notably in the Atlanta area, and close the gap with Trump, the Washington Post reported.
Amidst a myriad of memes attacking the vice president, her campaign has managed a turnaround by using these very memes to her advantage. Showing confidence, Harris has accepted the coconut meme to her advantage. Many have used the symbol to show their support for Harris.
Madam Vice President, we are ready to help. pic.twitter.com/y8baSx44FL
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 22, 2024
With “coconut”, a term widely used for those of South Asian descent in the US, Harris brings context to her candidacy as she explains a remark made often by her mother, an immigrant from southern India, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Also read: Why India’s enthusiasm over Kamala Harris is cooling off & country’s growing surveillance infra