It's a brat wedding season and we're just living in it...
There seems to be a term on everyone’s mind right now: Brat Summer. What does it mean? And where did it come from? Well, yet again, the internet has a lot to do with this term being a part of the cultural zeitgeist at the moment. Ever since singer-songwriter Charli XCX released her album Brat in June, everything associated with the song has become almost iconic. From the colour lime green, which has been used as a background for the album cover, and the Arial font used to write ‘brat’ for the cover to the mention of Von Dutch, partying and embracing being a glorious mess, it’s all about embracing the ‘brat girl summer’ once and for all.
Somewhat related to the TikTok-popular fashion trend ‘Feral Girl Summer’ or ‘Rat Girl Summer,’ which highlights partying, sporting messy hair and metallic eye make-up, the ‘Brat Girl’ aesthetic and lifestyle leans more towards embracing one’s imperfections.
It’s also characterised by lime green eye makeup with a bold lip, chaos and the idea of spontaneity. However, both ‘Feral Girl’ and ‘Brat Girl’ have partying as a consistent favourite. To understand it better, you can consider it to be a polar opposite of the ‘Clean girl’ aesthetic.
So, a ‘Brat girl’ is someone who is living in the moment, carefree, and celebrating life in her own way and does not necessarily prioritise organisation like the ‘Clean Girl’ would, she is also not gung ho about matching her outfits; Especially so, about matching her trainers with the rest of her outfit.
So, with all that being said, are you ready to see whether you’re the kind who’d embrace the chaos of being a bride or groom?
If you think you thrive in chaos and love being spontaneous and bold, then there may be a slight chance that you can be considered a brat bride or groom. But just to be sure, take a look at whether these points check off for you! Read on…
Of course, you’ve also included a teal, green or off-beat colour in your wedding trousseau. You’re just not keen on the usual red, or pastel palette that seems to be everywhere right now!
Though the photographer has gone MIA and you haven’t heard from him, you’re not really bothered. In fact, you’re low-key amused at the situation, you’re willing to laugh about the chaos for a good 15 minutes and then maybe reach out to the team to see where they are.
You’re not surprised that your mom and MIL have blown up over the smallest inconvenience, they’ve been itching to speak their minds since the moment they met. So you stand there watching it all play out and even grab a snack to let the entertainment truly thrive.
So you spilt some wine or sauce on your lehenga while scarfing down a snack or two in between photo sessions. Big deal, amirite? Well, if you’re truly a brat bride or groom, a little spillage will hardly cause any anxiety or rushing about to fix the mess.
You somehow ended up imprinting your hand’s mehendi on your face while asleep, you think the situation is downright epic and hilarious, but try to fade it using some cleansing oil. Thankfully it helps! Seems like you’re good to go.
Your friend forgot to pick up your sherwani from your cousin’s place. It’s 2 hours before the wedding, but it’s okay, you’ve requested a Dunzo/Porter pick-up and are sitting back and sipping on your iced pour-over, it’ll be here in an instant!
You wake up with a major zit on your forehead. So major that even the make-up won’t be able to cover it up. You ice it down a little but are honestly not concerned, you’re waiting for the ceremony to finish up so that you can gobble down some good food, and head to bed!
Let’s be honest, you’ve always wanted to go all out with your make-up for your special day. There is nothing subtle about your bridal look. You’ve requested a stunning cut-crease, metallic smokey-eyed look and wouldn’t have it any other way!
Weddings are stressful, even for the most chilled-out of us. Who has time to pack for a trip amidst all that? Well, most people do just not the ones who embody the brat essence in its true form.
If you think you’d make similar choices around or on your wedding day, then you might just be a brat bride or groom!
Harshita Singh is a Digital Writer at Manifest and besides obsessing over aesthetic ‘IT Girl’ Sunday reset reels on Instagram, she finds joy in going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, exploring new wellness practices and being mildly addicted to oat-milk coffees. View Profile
