kamala IS brat

When my parents asked me “Aseela, what does ‘Kamala is brat’ mean?”, I burst out laughing. Explaining the connection between Charli xcx’s new album and Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to my family felt absurd, to be honest. At the same time, though, watching Gen Z connect with a presidential candidate online felt right. This resurgence of social media attention felt sharply contrasted to my generation’s jaded regard of Joe Biden. Feeling no connection to yet another elderly white man, many young voters (myself included) planned to vote for Biden simply because the other candidate was worse.

But Kamala Harris makes me want to vote confidently. Compared to Trump’s campaign, her team clearly knows how to target Gen Z, and it’s working. I was scrolling through her merch website (withholding the urge to spend all my money on a cute shirt), and noticed that the style, colors, and items she was selling all looked trendy, stylish, and witty. Trump’s wordy, bright red hat, looked downright lazy compared to statement mugs and aesthetic tote bags.

Whether through music remixes featuring Harris’ famous quote, “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?!” or fancam edits of Kamala dancing, Gen Z has taken to the internet with a fervor I know we will also bring to the polls.