Does this year's hottest trend actually come from a 2007 Marvel comic?
ADVERTISEMENTAre you having a ‘brat summer’?
For those of you who have been living under a rock, ‘brat’ has become one of 2024’s biggest trends, off the back of Charli XCX’s album.
Following the June release of the British pop star’s sixth studio album - which features a minimalistic lime green square as its cover art – the term “brat” has been everywhere, dominating social media and fashion trends.
The word has been described by the singer as being representative of someone who might have "a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra". She's explained on social media how it is similar to the "girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”.
Basically, it's a vibe characterised by partying and having a carefree mindset, and the internet has lapped it up – and even memeified Kamala Harris, who has been using it for her online campaigning since Charli XCX declared on X: “kamala IS brat”.
Now that you’re all caught up, there’s imitation afoot.
Charli XCX’s fans have spotted that her now-iconic album art looks suspiciously familiar to artwork that first appeared in a Marvel comic which was published in 2007.
Indeed, an issue of "The Amazing Spider-Girl" – Number 4 to be precise - features a character with a green shirt with the word ‘brat’ on it - in similar lowercase.
TikToker EricAtTheDisco – who seems flabbergasted by the whole thing - explained the situation in a post.
"Charli XCX, if you're watching this, you might have some explaining to do..." he said. "Fans have discovered a character in this comic book with a green shirt with 'brat' in all lower case with a period."
"So what is going on here?! The green? The lower case? The only thing that's different is just the period. This is insane. I just want to know, is Charli XCX an Amazing Spider-Girl fan? Is someone on her team a Spider-Girl fan? Do they love comics? Because this is nuts!”
Not sure about how nuts it is, but there are unmistakable similarities here.
"That's a cool coincidence," wrote one social media user, while another defended Charli XCX by saying: “Ppl forget that brat is a bit of a 00s throwback LP. Shirts that read 'brat', 'b***h', 'princess', 'angel' were not uncommon. Lowercase with a period was also a popular aesthetic.”
What was it Oscar Wilde said about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?
Well, that – if you don’t count the second part of that old chestnut, which continues: “... that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
ADVERTISEMENT(We love the 'brat' album, just so that's clear - and even included it in our Best Albums of 2024 So Far list.)
It seems that nothing can dent or dethrone ‘brat summer’, not even the new TikTok catchphrase ‘demure’, which seems to progressively be taking over thanks to the likes of Lily Collins and Jenna Ortega, who have been using it online and ensuring that #demure is dominating feeds all over.
The new flash-in-the-pan TikTok trend is the phrase "very mindful, very demure", kickstarted by TikTok user Jools Lebron, a self-described "plus-sized trans woman," who used the phrase to describe the level of appropriateness for makeup and fashion choices in various settings.
So no, it’s not about keeping a "reserved or composed in demeanour", as the Oxford English Dictionary definition would have you believe, and more about a new fad focusing on more subtle elegance.
ADVERTISEMENTThe video posted by Lebron, in which she uses the term, has more than 30 million views and has amassed her more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok. And the 'demure' trend has changed her life, as she posted a follow-up video in which she states: "Maybe you should make the videos because one day I was playing cashier and making videos on my break and now I’m flying across the country to host events, and I’m going to be able to finance the rest of my transition.”
Maybe we should make videos... Oh wait, we already do – check out our latest videos here on Euronews Culture. And yes, we’re available to host events, in case you were wondering.
Enjoy your 'Amazing Spider-Girl #4 summer' – sorry – your 'brat summer' everyone.
