OPINION

Opinion: Embrace a new ideology: how to be ‘brat’ and more

Jada Hauser | Washtenaw Voice

Lily Cole

Editor

Thanks to artist Charli XCX and her album “BRAT,” this year’s summer color was definitely lime green. Why abandon the “brat” ideology as we move into fall?

What is “BRAT”

“BRAT” is the hyperpop album recorded and released in June.

Charli garnered praise with her album, with albumoftheyear.org rating it 96%. According to Charli, her version of brat was explained in a June 8 Instagram post, saying, “ [brat is] me, my flaws, my f—ups, my ego all rolled into one.”

The artist had already explored some of her emotions in her five other studio albums. However, “BRAT” embraces a new party girl aesthetic.

She explains it more in a TikTok video, “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.”

How to be “brat” and more

We can see that “brat” is a more straightforward way of saying radical acceptance.

In short, radical acceptance is based on the idea that suffering doesn’t come directly from pain but from one’s addiction to it. The first step to a more healthy mindset is to accept. It’s a part of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which teaches you to recognize things the way they are, even if they are not good. It’s a form I’ve tried and found very beneficial.

This might sound like: this thing sucks. This thought makes me feel terrible. But I cannot change that. I must learn to accept my emotions and the reality of life.

So, how does this relate to “brat summer?”

If “brat” is carefree and messy, radical acceptance is that, but without the mess. You can live an unbothered life and healthily embrace your not-so-good qualities.

This can be achieved by simply feeling your emotions. Wherever you are, cry, laugh, take time, and understand why you’re feeling a certain way about something.

It’s easier said than done, but once you are genuinely in tune with your mind and how you react to certain things, life becomes as carefree as a club on Saturday night playing “365.”

So, as we move into “demure fall” (TikTok user Joolieannie’s newest trend, replacing “brat”), keep in mind radical acceptance, how it relates to “brat” (and even “demure fall”) and mostly its benefits to being a more mindful, unworried person.