Are Men Celebrating Brat Summer? An Investigation

Welcome to brat summer. It’s a movement that began on June 7, when Charli XCX released Brat, a collection of songs equally fit for going feral at the club and crying over friendship breakups on the couch. The aesthetic is neon green, and the vibe is chaotic and c*nty. We’re wearing tiny tank tops. We’re staying out too late. We’re looking hot while smoking cigs. We’re working it out on the remix.

Ask any 20-something girl you know, and she’ll tell you she knows exactly how she’s celebrating brat summer. But what about the men? Are they even observing this holiday? As a Charli superfan who can’t stop yapping, I decided I needed some answers — so I set out on a quest to poll them on the streets of New York City.

Over three boiling hot days in late June, I visited East Village skateparks to get intel from the skater dudes. I posted up in Financial District cafes to catch finance bros on their lunch break. And I’m not going to name names, but I might have conducted one or two interviews naked on the bed after a one-night stand. (I may be a single girl, but first and foremost, I’m a journalist.)

All in all, I spoke to 13 men from ages 19 to 29. They hail from Bushwick, Brooklyn, all the way to Amsterdam, and they have some thoughts about this season of “mean girls” and “club classics.”

The Boys Are Going Absolutely Feral For Brat Summer

The internet has proven that the girls, gays, and theys are properly riding the brat summer wave. Through my scientific research (approaching men and asking if they’re Charli XCX stans), I discovered that the men of NYC are mostly here for that same energy.

I happened upon William, 23, sprawled on a picnic blanket while wearing too-cool-for-school sunglasses and reading a book (performatively). He’s an East Village boy working for a renewable energy startup, and at the time, he was “saving Brat for the Fourth of July weekend.” He and his friends decided to hold off on streaming the album until their upcoming group trip, so they could experience the new music together. That didn’t stop William from being looped into the world of brat summer — and hearing sneak peeks of the trending music on TikTok.

Going out. Popping off. Riding the Citi bike with my sunglasses on. Dancing. Not giving a f*ck.

When I asked what brat summer means to him, William didn’t miss a beat before saying, “Besides being a bad b*tch? Some mischief will be going on here and there.” As I pried about what mischief he was referring to, William unintentionally responded in the form of a beautiful, bratty poem (ABCB rhyme scheme): “Saying no to plans I don’t want to go to. Staying out later than I should. Getting in the sun, and getting up to no good.”

Mark, a mustachioed salesman living in the East Village, painted a clear picture of what brat summer mischief looks like for him: “Going out. Popping off. Riding the Citi bike with my sunglasses on. Dancing. Not giving a f*ck.” While the girls may be wearing strappy white tops with no bra, this 26-year-old insists that for guys, it’s all about wearing sunglasses at night.

This desire for chaotic energy and irreverent partying was shared by many men I spoke to, so it appears Brat is achieving the impossible by getting the indoor generation off the couch and up in the club. Or, for 25-year-old Casey, who works in fashion, off the couch and to a “little rave in the Washington Square Park fountain.” As long as the Addison Rae scream from “Von Dutch” is going in the background, Casey is ready to take a swim.

To Other Men, Brat Summer Takes On A Different Meaning

According to brat summer in and out lists from TikTok, Brat is about more than just unhinged partying. It’s also about wearing what you want, letting go of what doesn’t serve you, and being unapologetically yourself. To my surprise, some of these NYC men read between the sick beats of Brat to reach these conclusions themselves.

I met Scottie, a 23-year-old from South Carolina who moved to Bushwick last year, at a skatepark. “Big surprise, because Bushwick needs another skateboarder,” he says with a laugh. This Brooklyn Cool Boy’s plans to celebrate brat summer are plain and simple: “I’m just going to do what I want to do. I’m ready to do my own thing, and be my own person.” As a creative who’s been struggling to find work in the city, Scottie finds the brat summer mindset invigorating. To him, being on his brat sh*t means the opportunity to “get inspired, make something cool, and be me.”

He’s not the only one adopting this attitude. Meet Omar, a friendly 20-year-old who approached me on my morning coffee walk to canvas for an education foundation. His infectious energy got me to stop and listen, and after his spiel, I pulled an Uno reverse card and asked to interview him about brat summer.

As a 20-year-old who’s about to turn 21, Omar is wrestling with the idea that he is now allowed to do certain things that he was programmed to believe he shouldn’t. To him, there’s nothing more brat than that. “Brat summer feels like a very punk thing,” Omar says. “Whatever people think that you’re not supposed to do, and whatever you think that you’re not supposed to do — it’s about doing that.” To Omar, brat summer is an act of defiance.

If you’re the guy who’s holding back on the people trying to go to an after-party on a Tuesday, you’re not brat.

Then there’s the Troubled Boys Reading Group, a crew of three boys I happened upon in Washington Square Park. They meet regularly to chat about their thoughts and feelings over books, and they didn’t shy away from discussing their extensive brat summer plans. “We’re riding the Cyclone in Coney Island. We’re taking the Q train to Brighton Beach. We’re hiking with the boys,” 29-year-old Troubled Boy Ben says.

“But what’s at the core of all of this?” I asked them. “Why these activities for brat summer?”

“It’s about embracing the traditional while also rejecting it,” 28-year-old group member Nate says. “Like camping with the boys. It’s this classic macho thing to do, but we’re also going to connect and talk about our feelings.”

“Exactly,” Ben says. “A brat is someone who is aggressive, but also vulnerable.”

Can Anyone Celebrate Brat Summer? “Not If You’re A Square”

These guys are demonstrating that brat summer is a movement all genders can be part of, but can just anyone claim it as their mantra? “Not if you’re a square,” Casey tells me. “If you’re the guy who’s holding back on the people trying to go to an after-party on a Tuesday, you’re not brat.”

Most of the men I spoke to are celebrating brat summer exactly as Charli intended, by leaning into debauchery, empowerment, and the general sentiment of not giving a f*ck. But of course, there’s always going to be a Brad out there who isn’t on the same page. In this case, he’s 23 and lives in the East Village. “It’s just an album,” he says. “How can you make your whole summer about one album that just came out, and it’s just the beginning of summer?”

In response, Casey says it best: “You’re either with the program, you’re either going to have an endless brat summer, or you’re not.” Unfortunately for him, Brad is not going to have a brat summer. And there may be other Brads out there who aren’t feeling the Charli heat. But to everyone else, we’re everywhere, we’re so Julia, and we are decidedly with the program.