Ambar Ramirez Carmen Macri
Words by Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri
Ambar: You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?
Carmen: You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.
Ambar: If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably heard that infamous Vice President Kamala Harris quote … about a million times. You’ve probably also seen all the remixes—and let’s not forget the endless TikTok dance trends that came with it.
Carmen: It’s wild to think that someone who was polling at 1% in the 2020 election and has been dubbed the “worst Vice President in history” is now the people’s princess. Safe to say, whoever’s running her TikTok account deserves a raise … and maybe some immunity too.
Ambar: It’s really no surprise that Gen Z-ers are taking advantage of the highly popular app for this presidential race, especially when the stakes are this high. But what exactly is setting this race apart from others?
Carmen: When the Democratic Party decided to stage a coup and nudge Biden out of the presidential race (let’s be real, we all saw it coming), chaos ensued. No one thought Harris could stand a chance against the Trump juggernaut and his devoted fan club. But then, something truly bizarre happened. The internet swooped in, crowned her “Brat” — thanks, Charli XCX — and suddenly, Harris had a fighting chance.
Ambar: For our readers who aren’t on the Tok, let me give you a quick rundown on why you should be scared if you’re putting your vote toward former president Donald Trump. But to explain that, we need to talk about Charli XCX and the revival of pop music. Taylor Swift oversaturated the pop music market (and all other markets, let’s be honest), and people were starting to see their grasp on real pop music slip from their fingers. That is until Charli XCX came to save the day with the ultimate hyperpop album of the year, “Brat.” Not only is the album a collection of hit after hit but the term “brat” became a part of everyone’s vocabulary. It was once used in a derogatory sense, to describe someone who was childish or spoiled. But now the saying took on a new meaning in the Gen Z dictionary and is used to describe the common theme of living a glamorous club lifestyle.
Carmen: And thus “Brat Summer” was born. Right in time for that coup I previously mentioned. With the “Brat” craze taking over the internet, Harris quickly hopped on the trend, changing her Twitter icon to the iconic green “Brat” logo. Needless to say, the girls and the gays went supernova.
Ambar: And it didn’t stop there.
Carmen: No, it did not. Charli XCX wasn’t the only pop princess swooping in to rescue us from the Taylor Swift dynasty. Enter Chappell Roan, who some whisper might be an industry plant, given her meteoric rise to fame. She dropped “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” an album packed with bangers, including the track “Femininomenon” — the latest feminist anthem. And, of course, the Harris TikTok crew couldn’t resist using it to throw shade at Trump, declaring that what this country really needs is a “femininomenon.” And the internet went wild, again.
Ambar: Politics has always taken advantage of entertainment. Remember those paid ads on cable TV? But with the rise of social media and with it the rise of influencers — people with a high number of followers and large reach are taking advantage of their platform to get involved in the political conversation. Just take a look at “Vogue” and their newly appointed social media political correspondent Jack Schlossberg.
Carmen: I’ve never needed a man more.
Ambar: Exactly, he’s hot and influential, and you can’t ask for more when you’re trying to engage our young voters. And in truth, politics has always been a dirty game — except now it’s dirty and trending on TikTok.
Carmen: Our parents had Fox News and CNN; we’ve got TikTok and Twitter. Sure, these apps were meant for entertainment, but they’ve become our go-to news channels. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I watched an actual news broadcast. Everything I know about the world comes straight from social media.
Ambar: The news we receive on platforms like TikTok, Twitter and others is more digestible and relatable. It’s delivered by real people who get straight to the point — anything longer than five minutes, and you’ve already lost half your audience. This format is also more accessible, eliminating the need to flip between channels to find what you’re looking for.
Carmen: Social media is the ultimate multi-tool for getting your message out, and Harris is smart enough to figure that out early. Turn yourself into a meme, and watch the internet rally behind you like it’s the digital age’s version of a standing ovation. It started as a joke, calling Harris “brat,” but like most things online, it spread like wildfire. And something that was once ironic is now her unofficial campaign slogan.
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