the revival of the 201os: how the release of brat by Charli xcx has signalled the comeback of another fashion trend… and another past financial period?

Since brat’s release this summer of 2024, the current world’s gradual entrance into recession and the death of the clean girl, I propose that we are reliving another era of the indie sleaze aesthetic – or at least, NYC is (although I believe the indie sleaze epidemic will start to spread out sooner or later).

Firstly, we must look at the birth and history of the indie sleaze. The style of this ‘aesthetic’ was originally known as the hipster style, relevant around a decade ago on tumblr especially. Hipsters were seen cool; they embodied a lifestyle in which parties were very much prevalent in their regular lives. They probably listened to electro-pop bands, danced the night away in free-sprit, caring naught of how the world outside could blow them out. Hipsters drew moustaches on the sides of their index finger and brought it to the top of their lips – a silly pose to think about it now. Hipster girls especially, had a good amount of public relevance, with characters in fiction such as Effie Stonem (Skins) and Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl) being one, as well as Kate Moss and Sky Ferreira the time.

post from the tumblr user @abandonedmannequinfactory

Over time, the hipster sub-culture went into hibernation as newer trends emerged – but around a decade later, it became dubbed as the ‘indie sleaze aesthetic’. Fast forward to the standards of the 2024 indie sleaze aesthetic, key clothing aspects to this newly resurrected style, as seen on TikTok and Instagram, includes a somewhat fitted yet oversized one-shoulder shirt, dark/grey/grainy coloured tank tops, skinny low-rise jeans, medium-sized saggy black/brown leather bags, oversized sunglasses, and most importantly, Isabel Marant high rise wedge sneakers. They are back to town.

What exactly makes the indie sleaze so ‘brat’? What does ‘brat’ have to do with this?

moodboard from tumblr user @mushi-and-junior

Social media has moulded the definition of brat into ‘a girl who has a breakdown but kind of parties through it’. A brat can be sassy, stylish and independent, among many other qualities. She is the anthesis of the previously trending ‘Clean Girl’ in every aspect with her lifestyle – neither as performative nor as expensive in taste due to their consideration of the current world’s economic state. Such an era of pop has created another way to consider this summer – a ‘brat summer’. Charli xcx describes the general vibe of the era such that a brat spends this summer with a pack of cigarettes, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra. There will be no room for male opinions and rulings over our outfit choices and personal decisions. Instead, room will be made for braless-ness in the scorching heat of summer. We must make room for air to flow between the musty air of raves and to our bodies. The act of going ‘braless’ is synonymous with sexual freedom and a direct in-the-face ‘fuck you’ to all the men who assume role in deciding how women should talk, walk, dress and act. While I believe the dominant role that patriarchy plays in society will always exist and will not budge until we completely dismantle it from within the system of our society, such small cultural trend allows ‘brats’ around the world to gain temporary empowerment from the message they choose to embody. Sexual liberation and recession pop culture is back, so is the dancefloor.

tumbler post from user @manicpixieangel444

The trend concept of ‘recession pop’ is theoretical, but there’s no doubt of its sound recurrence and repeat demonstration in real life. Dating back to the Great Depression, for example, jazz and swing music took the United States by storm, becoming an increasingly popular choice of music genre to play in bars and clubs where people would spend time socialising or relaxing to temporarily break free from the financially difficult time. People are able to seek escape by dancing to the upbeat tempos that ‘recession pop’ music offers, and through this, community connection is strengthened as they find common ground in their love for music, dance and struggles. This ‘trend’ was similarly repeated in the early 2010s during the Great Recession with hyper-pop and house music reigning mainstream. Charli xcx was one of the many artists who shone during that era, and she is back again in 2024. Any person with analytical skills in pop culture on social media would agree that the rise of recession pop, especially through artists like Charli xcx, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, who have been top on streaming charts all summer. Charli xcx’s brat is another one of her uniquely ‘high octane hyperpop’ soundtracks, as described by Dazed Magazine, the same she went mainstream for back a decade ago.

Hence, the revival recession pop music ultimately indicates the revival of hipster, indie sleaze style and the lifestyles that come with it. The release of brat by Charli xcx has solidified that, and so has the concept of ‘brat summer’. The whole ‘brat’ persona comes with being a party person, messy and stylish at once – traits that have been observed to be popular during financially difficult and near-recession periods.

Reference Articles

Anderson, A. (n.d.). (Post) Recession Pop. Retrieved from MUSE Magazine website: https://muse-magazine.com/music-articles/xoq6ey0fvjwjumt41fadz7gpph7lp9

jazzcafe. (2022, October 15). The Smooth History of Jazz Music | River Street Jazz Cafe. Retrieved from The River Street Jazz Cafe website: https://riverstreetjazzcafe.com/the-smooth-history-of-jazz/#:~:text=The%20beginning%20of%20the%20jazz

Kiefer, A. (2023, July 6). Recession Pop: Dancing Through The Pain. Retrieved from The Current website: https://thecurrentmsu.com/2023/07/06/recession-pop-dancing-through-the-pain/

Molley, L. (2024, June 10). What Charli XCX’s Brat means for pop. Retrieved from Dazed website: https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/62824/1/how-to-be-a-brat-life-lessons-from-charli-xcx-new-album

Rufo, Y. (2024, July 27). Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan: Brat, messy and vulnerable. Retrieved from www.bbc.com website: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c97d3v8vpl3o

Williams, Z. (2024, July 16). Brat summer: is the long era of clean living finally over? The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jul/16/brat-summer-is-the-long-era-of-clean-living-finally-over