Every generation has its brat moment

And this one belongs to Gen Z. Plus BOATS!

It’s in the waters, in the ether. Everywhere you turn, flashes of bright green billow through a cloud of actual cigarette smoke. Vaping is done now you see, cigarettes are back in. Yoga is also out, but staying out dancing all night is so back. Brat is, if you are unaware, the new album from Charli XCX but it is more than just an album, it’s a cultural shift.

Loads of publications are exploring the meaning of Brat Summer (the Guardian, Esquire, and proving that they’ve got their finger on the pulse by spelling her name with an ‘e’ in the headline, RTE are also getting in on the action). By her own definition, Brat Summer “can be so trashy,” she told the BBC. “Just like a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra. That’s kind of all you need.”

But it’s not just an aesthetic, it’s a changing of the guard. It’s a vibe refresh, one that’s orientated around Gen Z, the ones that are aged between 19 and 22, leaving behind the Covid confinements that defined their teen years and taking their big, bold steps into adulthood. Except they’re actually experiencing their teen years now as adults. Adults with part-time jobs, credit cards, dealers, unlimited data; can you imagine your former 17-year-old inexperience and hunger paired with the partial financial independence and agency that you had at 21? That’s brat, baby.

Brat is, and this one will hurt, the end of the millennial reign. We’re over. We’re dust. We can partake in brat, but we are not actually brat. We can observe, we can respect and we can cosplay, but in our hearts of hearts we know that being brat requires stamina, and that we do not have. While Charli is a millennial herself, she is Gen Z in theory. She is above age. She’s above trends, namely because she sets the latest ones and then moves onto the next one before the likes of Ryan Tubridy discover it. FYI, Rihanna also transcends trends. However, while this round isn’t ours, we’ve all had our own version of a Brat Summer.