While ‘BRAT’ was initially criticised for having ‘too ugly’ an album cover, Charli XCX defended the ‘offensive’ lime green as a way of combatting industry norms. There is a silent expectation for female artists to be perfectly photographed and feature heavily in their own work. Yet the simple nature of the cover ended up benefitting Charli, as the lime green prompted the possibility for easy interpretation for the audience.

Y2k aesthetics have undoubtably taken over the fashion world, with celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo sporting a DIY tank top on stage every night. However, ‘Brat Summer’ seems to have propelled this movement forward even more.

The album heavily promotes being a ‘party girl’ and takes from that aesthetic when it comes to clothing. When you look back at the 2000s, celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Britney Spears spring to mind, with their being photographed outside of a club wearing a tiny top and heels. It’s then no surprise that an album that both lyrically and sonically features club culture on such a heavy scale would match the spirit of the early 2000s. The fashion certainly stands out from the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ that has dominated current culture. The ‘brat aesthetic’ thrives on chaos and messiness, and is simply less ‘put together’. Smudged eyeliner, minidresses, and corset vests are seen as the main components, as well as graphic tees with a punchline written on the front. Of course, the colour green is extremely prevalent, even going as far as being used in political campaigns. The album cover, whether intentionally or not, has spread far beyond pure album aesthetics. The Green Party received a lot of attention for using the branding in their election campaign.

Even Kamala Harris joined in after Charli tweeted “kamala IS brat,” receiving 335,000 likes for the post.

Kamala’s campaign account then changed their banner on X to a ‘brat’ themed one. A marketing metric developed by Launchmetrics determined that the banner rebrand earned Kamala Harris $15.9 million in media impact value, a way of assigning monetary value to marketing.

Charli’s impact on social media goes hand in hand with her impact on fashion. Photos from her birthday gained traction on both X and Instagram. The pictures follow the usual trend of taking photos with a disposable camera to embody the same look as paparazzi photos from the Y2K era. In a photo, Charli is seen sporting a mini skirt and narrow-frame sunglasses, with denim skirts and large hooped earrings also being featured. The pictures have a cluttered look to them and the attention these photos received only speaks to Charli’s hold on current culture.