At some point in your childhood you were probably called one. You may even whisper it under your breath at the pub when the kid on the table next to yours starts whining. But more recently, the word “brat” has gone from a slur to a badge of honour, so much so that the internet has declared it “brat summer”.
The British pop star Charli XCX is the main instigator of this semantic shift. Two weeks ago the 31-year-old announced the release of her sixth studio album via Instagram. Posting a photo of herself sitting on a dirty pavement, she held a kryptonite green vinyl cover in her hands with the word “brat” emblazoned on the front.
