The 2024 election is approaching quickly and presidential candidate Kamala Harris is making strong efforts to attract young voters’ attention. Charli XCX’s “Brat” album holds a significant place in Harris’s campaign along with other A-list celebrities’ endorsements, making Gen Z increasingly more interested in politics.
“Brat”
On July 22, English pop singer Charli XCX tweeted, “Kamala IS brat,” so Harris took that tweet and ran with it. After this tweet, Harris HQ changed its Twitter page, embracing the overall style of “Brat,” including the album’s font and unmistakable green color.
Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) junior Solana Van Enoo said, “When I think of “Brat” I think of… the neon green color, the way [it] has kind of become this idea of being free-spirited… living life to the fullest.”
Challenging the trendy clean-girl style, the pop album takes on a more messy, party-girl manner that appeals to a younger generation calling for social change. This encourages those progressive, politically active youths to vote for Harris.
“She’s making a particular attempt to go after youth (18 to 25-year-olds),” said Brian Murray, an AP U.S. Government teacher at HBHS. “She wants Gen Z, she wants the youth vote to show up.”
One group of young socialists supporting Harris is the Human Rights Campaign, a pro-equality organization that fights for the liberation of all peoples, most prominently for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members in society. This foundation recently released a Harris t-shirt in the style of the “Brat” album. It reads, “she’s so Kamala,” referencing the lyrics, “she’s so Julia,” from Charli XCX’s song, “360.”
Celebrity and Media Impact
In addition to adopting the “Brat” album, Harris has received multiple endorsements from widely known celebrities, such as global superstar Taylor Swift and American rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Before Swift endorsed Harris, J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, said in a Fox News interview that women in politics are “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives” and “don’t really have a direct stake” in America. Vance said this in a Fox News interview in 2021, but it recently resurfaced online.
On Sept. 10, Swift endorsed Harris via Instagram and signed her endorsement message as a “Childless Cat Lady,” countering Vance’s statement. With Swift’s massive fan base and success as a woman without children, her support of Harris has a major impact on the election.
Another celebrity appealing to youth voters who backed Harris was Megan Thee Stallion. At Harris’s first rally at Atlanta, Georgia’s Democratic National Convention on July 30, Stallion kicked off the event by performing her hit song, “Body.” Leading up to her performance, Stallion said, “Now I know my ladies in the crowd love their bodies. If you want to keep loving your bodies, you know who to vote for.” As a Black woman, Stallion appeals not only to young voters but also to women and voters of color.
Having people with major influence such as Swift and Stallion commend Harris is so important to get Gen Z to vote for her. However, Gen Z would be unaware of the endorsements if it were not for the media.
Senior at HBHS, Sienna Schoales, stated, “We’re a generation who gets most of our news online.”
Media has a huge power in the influencing the youth of America. It can determine what viewers believe in or how they view people, which is why Harris heavily relies on it. The Kamala HQ account on “TikTok” posts regularly, always keeping up with the latest trends. Other users also post edits of Harris that include her dancing, laughing, and coming up with iconic quotes; the most popular one being, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”
“Pop culture and media influence you because it’s what a lot of young people see,” said Nico Seitz, a junior at HBHS.
Gen Z Voters
Although Harris’s campaign appeals strongly to Gen Z, a study conducted in September by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that 34 states have fewer registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29 than in the 2020 election.
“Youth voters, they’re just, they’re not there,” Murray said. “18 to 25-year-olds just don’t vote in the same numbers as older Americans.”
Although some young voters haven’t registered, this presents Harris with the opportunity to win their vote. Therefore, Harris incorporates pop culture and media in her campaign. Using these features appeals to the youth and encourages them to vote blue.
