Brat Summer vs. Anti Brat Summer

Some Arts and Entertainment Department members had a brat summer, while others not so much.

The Unofficial Brat Summer Guide

Brat summer has gone and passed, and before we move into academia girl fall, let’s recap what I consider to be the staples of a summer that will define a generation of music and pop culture.

Iced matcha, four pumps of vanilla

This is my go-to Starbucks order. Matcha is actually very good for you; it’s high in antioxidants, can protect the liver, contains fiber and boosts brain function (I am not a doctor).

Green was the official color of brat summer, so why not top it off with this green drink?

Plus, it feels so cool to walk around places with a matcha while everyone else is drinking something boring.

“Veep”

I started watching the hidden HBO hit, and I am addicted.

“Veep” is a political satire that follows inapposite Vice President Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and her colorful team as she accidentally becomes president. A mix between “The Office” and “The West Wing,” “Veep” has been incorporated into my daily life and vocabulary.

Plus, Louis-Dreyfus is, as Charli XCX would say, “so Julia.”

Phone on do not disturb

I really wish I was unreachable, but I can’t be, so the best I can do is do not disturb.

Do not disturb is a wonderful feature – your phone won’t show you any incoming notifications, nor will it display the number of notifications in your apps, so as not to stress you out.

If you press “notify anyways” and it isn’t an immediate emergency, just know I’ll hold this grudge against you for the rest of my life.

“My Year of Rest and Relaxation”

An unreliable narrator is definitely brat, and Ottessa Moshfegh’s character fits all the categories.

The narrator is thin, pretty, living in Manhattan and recently graduated from Columbia – but nothing in her life makes her happy. The narrator falls into a deep, dark hole fueled by drugs, an experiment and life in the city in 2000.

In an album that makes constant mentions of looks, “being pretty only kept me trapped in a world that valued looks above all else” really rings true.

Baby tees

“So stylish, baby tee is all gone.”

Baby tees became a fashion staple for me this summer. I love a baby tee/flare leggings or baby tee/high-waisted shorts moment, and just trust that I will be wearing these looks to the max this year (or, while it’s still warm enough in State College).

Black nail polish

I got hooked on black nail polish this summer in the early seasons of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” way.

Black is such a statement color – it’s every bit it girl and simultaneously mysterious, and it goes with everything.

Ariana Madix

There’s no better feeling in the world than dropping two hundred pounds of loser weight and getting a bag.

Alongside Charli XCX, I’m officially crowning Madix queen of brat summer. The “Vanderpump Rules” star hosted the drama-filled “Love Island USA” season, and her star power reached a whole new corner of the internet.

But let’s be real – Madix has been serving looks since that braid bang circa season two of Pump Rules.

Plus, Madix is a perfect example – don’t let the man define you. Dump those losers.

The initials A.G.

“Legacy is undefeated, you gon’ jump if AG made it.”

AG Cook produced a lot of the tracks, including “360” where the lyric comes from. What a time to have those initials.

Wearing sunglasses inside

There’s three types of people who can wear sunglasses inside – rockstars, wrestlers and the third I can’t say in this article.

Wearing sunnies inside is a power move. Bonus brat points if you thrifted the sunglasses.

Doing the Mini in under 45 seconds

Cool girls play the New York Times games, and my personal favorite is the Mini.

The Mini makes or breaks my day. It’s a race and a competition for my pride; standing and proclaiming “I’m done!” with my time after I solve that final clue.

Wordle, you will never live up to the Mini. - Adrianna Gallucci

The Anti-Brat Summer Experience

It’s kind of hard to have a brat summer in my hometown of Collegeville, Pennsylvania.

The town has a population of just over 5,000 people, with a couple shopping centers, a movie theater and a Wawa on every street corner.

So when I listened to Charli xcx’s “brat” album this summer as I stocked the shelves of my local Target, I realized that my surroundings made it impossible for me to have the “brat summer” of my dreams.

Instead, these are things I found comfort in that some may consider an “anti-brat summer.”

Starbucks Summer Berry Lemonade Refresher

This was my beverage of choice for all of my Target shifts, and I dropped a considerable amount of money for those sweet raspberry boba pearls.

The blue-to-red ombre color of the drink alone makes it very un-brat.

Working Three Jobs

In order to have a true brat summer, I feel like you have to have free time to go out, drive with the windows down and party until the sun comes up.

That’s not really an option when you’re working a retail, food service and campus newspaper job almost every day of the summer.

Phillies Ice Cream Helmets

I went to a couple of Phillies games over the summer, and I physically can’t be in Citizens Bank Park without purchasing an overpriced and undersized ice cream helmet — vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

Delicious- not brat.

Disneyland

I went to Disneyland California for the first time ever this summer! The wholesome and magical environment is possibly as anti-brat as you can get.

Although, meeting Disneyland Loki felt pretty brat to me.

Oversized T-Shirts

It could be 95 degrees outside and you’d still probably catch me wearing my favorite oversized Wallows t-shirt.

Comfort over style any day.

Jack Antonoff

I saw Jack Antonoff’s band Bleachers live in Philly this summer with my mom, and the crowd was very middle-aged, happy relationship-type people.

Jack also yapped in between almost every song during the concert, not very brat of him. Love him though!

Twisters

A lot of girls (including myself) had a Glen Powell country bumpkin-esque summer after seeing “Twisters” in theaters.

There was definitely a point in time where “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” was my number-one song on Spotify.

Broadway Musical Soundtracks

Unfortunately, I don’t think listening to the Les Misérables, Rent, Waitress, Heathers and Anastasia soundtracks all the way through during my eight-hour shifts is very brat.

They don’t have nearly enough electronic bass in them to even be considered.

Emily in Paris

I don’t think this one really needs an explanation. Least brat show to ever exist, and I ate it up all summer.

Going to bed by 10:30 p.m.

Since I woke up early for work every day, I’d usually watch a movie at 8 or 9 p.m. and be in bed by 10:30 most summer nights.

A true brat wouldn’t be in bed until at least 2 or 3 a.m.

The Color Red

Phillies, Target, Rita’s Water Ice, raspberry boba pearls. I couldn’t escape the color red all summer.

Fanfiction

Wattpad, Archive of Your Own, take your pick.

Reading and writing fanfiction is not something a brat would do because she’d be at the club instead of reading a Star Lord x reader story (sorry, Adrianna).

Hugh Jackman

The Hugh Jackman renaissance post-“Deadpool & Wolverine” was unironically a highlight of my summer.

TikTok editors took the hype and ran with it, creating one of the most iconic edits of all time to “It’s a Wrap” by Mariah Carey. My TikTok saved folder will never recover.

Aquariums

I went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore this summer, and the calming blue glow of a fish tank is certainly not brat.

Although, an argument could be made for Shark Alley… - Kaitlyn Murphy

Adrianna Gallucci is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amg7989@psu.edu.

Kaitlyn Murphy is a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.