The Kamala Harris campaign got off to a strong start by appealing to Gen Z voters and running the slogan “brat.”
The theme was inspired by British singer Charli XCX, who made a wave of trending posts on TikTok with the hashtag #bratsummer, which has now been adopted by Harris’ new presidential campaign.
In less than 24 hours, Harris’ campaign has gone from accepting the Democratic Party’s “presumptive” nomination to launching a full-scale marketing campaign.
Just hours after President Biden announced he was dropping out of the race, Charlie XCX (whose real name is Charlotte Emma Acheson) tweeted:Kamala is a brat.” he posted on the X account. The post was viewed by over 48 million people.
“You’re a bit sassy. You do stupid things. But that’s sassy. You’re sassy. That’s sassy.”
The singer is 31 and is targeting Gen Z voters, despite having launched her career posting music on MySpace. Her Wikipedia page says her stage name, Charli XCX, comes from a screen name on MSN Messenger, another defunct social media platform not exactly Gen Z territory.
Atchison previously said, BBC The “Sidetracked” podcast discusses what the word “brat” really means.
She described him as the kind of person who would have “a pack of cigarettes, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.”
“You’re a girl who’s a bit messy, who likes to party, who says stupid things sometimes,” she was quoted as saying, adding, “You feel like yourself, but you’re also mentally exhausted at times. But you get over that and you party, you’re very honest, you’re very forthright. You’re a bit quirky, you do stupid things, but that’s sassy. You’re sassy. That’s sassy.”
Despite the campaign acknowledging that the vice president looked foolish, the Harris team quickly changed tack. X-Page To further their marketing strategy, they changed the style to lime green, a color often associated with “kids.”
“Young people don’t trust existing politicians.”
To respond to rapid changes, CNN We are hosting a panel discussion on what the marketing campaign specifically means.
Even after reading Charlie XCX’s official explanation, CNN panelists still weren’t sure what it all meant.
“So, you’re saying we’re all brats and that Vice President Harris is a brat?” asked anchor Jake Tapper. “Okay… I’d love to be a brat,” he continued.
Tapper joked that the Harris campaign was trying to appeal to Gen Z “in a language that nobody at this table speaks except for you, who think you’re 23,” referring to CNN reporter Caitlin Collins.
“I’m the closest,” replied Collins, 32.
Michael Del Moro, a former spokesman for “Morning Joe” and “Good Morning America,” posted on X that gay men in New York have already begun to support Harris.
“BRAT Kamala shirts are already on Fire Island. Gays move fast,” he said. I have written.
Political strategist Kingsley Wilson called Harris’ marketing efforts “an embarrassing attempt to appeal to Gen Z voters,” adding that the effort “is likely to be more disappointing than Harris’ hysterical laughter and disastrous one-liners.”
“Young people don’t trust existing politicians and will never support someone who is put into office rather than elected.”
The online trend is seen as a rejection of traditional femininity in favor of hedonism, the BBC reported.
Gabe Viktar, a viral Instagram and TikTok video editor and Gen Z commentator, said such a strategy may be effective with certain demographics.
“I think it definitely works for young white women and black women who are embracing that lifestyle.”
Viktar also pointed to Democratic influencer Harry Sisson as someone who might align with the campaign.
“I think it’s suicidal for every other age group too. The majority of voters are much older and Kamala looks like an unprofessional buffoon who has no other choice.”
The content creator also said that while many Gen Z men would find Charlie XCX’s actions “gross,” he believes it was a smart move by the Harris campaign to seemingly cut ties with Biden.
Pop culture critic Natasha Bias told Blaze News that the singer’s popularity isn’t particularly diminished because she’s not American, but Bias saw value in the endeavor.
“If she wants to appeal to young voters, I think it would be wise for Kamala to embrace the nickname ‘brat.'”
The author explained that the Republican Party has not done enough to appeal to Gen Z and should be more proactive in doing so.
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