Who's a brat

Shelby Hull, a fan of singer-songwriter Charli XCX, whose album promoted the ‘brat’ concept, describes the mentality as adopting a carefree, rebellious summer lifestyle of fun and cosseting.

“I think people were craving a fun summer and a collective moment that we could all get behind,” said Shelby, who runs an Instagram page dedicated to It girls with wired headphones.

“It’s a time to be hot, trashy, drink vodka sodas, fly to Europe on the Amex with $30 in your bank account, stay out until 3 a.

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and not care what anyonethinks.

”Though celebrating a bold sense of freedom, the “brat” connotation risks trivialising the lived experiences of many.

Behind the façade of confidence and hedonism, people are grappling with financial stress, social challenges, and emotional strain.

Are we missing the crucial conversations about unspoken struggles?A FIRST-WORLD CONCEPTTo Prodosh Bhattacharya, a research scholar, it’s a largely first-world concept, where the trappings of the brat aesthetic — partying, clubbing, and opulence — depend heavily on financial privilege.

Many young people in non-cosmopolitan or Global South settings might connect with the spirit of “brattiness” but lack the avenues to embrace it fully due to economic or social constraints.

“Then there’s the question of mental health, which varies widely across cultures.

Climate change and other existential threats affect us differently, depending on where we live.

Given these differences, “brat” risks becoming an ableist term, promoting one-sidedness while also overlooking the cultural nuances that shape our everyday experiences.

Many young people lack the economic security or stable family backgrounds to explore this cosmopolitan notion of brightness.

So, does this aesthetic truly capture Gen Z across the globe? No, it’s largely centred in urban, privileged spaces,” says Prodosh.

JUDGEMENTAL NO MORESaumya Baijal, strategy director at Virtue Worldwide, feels language shapes thought, just as thought shapes language, and that these expressions guide cultural shifts.

“As a word, it was originally a descriptor laden with judgment by an older generation, aimed at rejecting its authority and ideas.

It is the rejection that is being overturned, with the word shifting from an adjective to a noun.

Today’s generation is reclaiming the idea of rejecting authority, within the context of their confidence,” she asserts.

Comedian Mohammed Hussain compares the “brat” aesthetic to past generational trends, suggesting that it indicates a craving for originality amidst shifting societal realities, but warns it can also reinforce materialism.

“The current financial climate is unsettling.

If having a ‘brat’ summer means wearing a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans, embracing it as a statement, at least it promotes societal acceptance of not constantly chasing the newest.

However, if it’s used to flaunt things like wired headphones or expensive Stanley cups, it just mirrors the worldly mindset of this social world: A primitive belief that more possessions lead to greater happiness,” hetells us.

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