Charli XCX doesn’t want to be a role model for women – which is why she’s such a great one
The ‘Brat’ singer is lifting up other women, being authentic, and using her platform for positive change. What more could you ask for?
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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
I have a new obsession.
Before you write me off as just another melodramatic millennial who speaks exclusively in hyperbole, let me assure you that I don’t use the word lightly. Yes, online it might seem like everyone is always obsessed with everything. But this is different. Trust me.
Of course, as anyone who has used the internet in the last week or so will know, I’m talking about Charli XCX. And I think she’s the unlikely role model young women have been waiting for. Bear with me on this one.
By now, you will likely be well acquainted with the term “Brat Summer”, a viral epithet-turned-global movement spawned from the musician’s sixth studio album, Brat. It is objectively a party album, one stuffed with undisputed bangers like “360” and “Von Dutch” that make you want to wriggle and bop into the wee hours.
As has been well documented, it’s also an album that doesn’t shy away from glorifying doing said partying while consuming drugs and alcohol – lyrics on the track “365” include “should we have a little line?” – so I can understand why some might turn their noses up at the idea that the writer of such songs could possibly be a role model. Like I said, bear with me.
Because while Brat is ostensibly about partying, once you dig deeper into the lyrics and lore surrounding Charli and her music, you see just how vulnerable a piece of art this is. She examines everything that is arduous about the modern-day female experience – from internalised misogyny and body shaming to social anxiety and patriarchal pressures.
The “brat identity”, which was first introduced to us by way of a viral music video for “360” starring some of Charli’s famous friends (Gabbriette, Chloe Sevigny and Rachel Sennott), is fundamentally a celebration and interrogation of girlhood in all its complexities.
This became clear when Charli released a remixed version of the track “Girl, so confusing” featuring Lorde, who the song was said to be about. Cue an online explosion as the two women sang to one another about their alleged feud and Lorde explained in her verse: “I was trapped in the hatred. And your life seemed so awesome. I never thought for a second. My voice was in your head.”
In many ways, it marked a musical first. Singing about other artists you’re rumoured to be feuding with is nothing new. But inviting them to “work it out on the remix”, as Charli did, is revolutionary and sets a precedent for putting competition to one side and championing a fellow woman in your industry. This doesn’t happen enough in music – and struck a particular chord given the rumours surrounding Taylor Swift allegedly sabotaging Charli from reaching the number one spot on the album charts.
Charli’s commitment to championing other female artists was further cemented on Friday with the release of a remix of her track “Guess”, featuring Billie Eilish. Again, the internet went bananas. It has been impossible to avoid the song and its accompanying music video since it dropped – and for good reason. It’s a serious bop.
Beyond championing other women, though, Charli has also used her platform as a political space – something many musicians shy away from. Shortly after Joe Biden announced his endorsement for Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee in the US presidential election, Charli tweeted: “Kamala IS brat”. Harris’s team cleverly leapt on this, and incorporated the already-iconic brat typography in its campaign imagery on Twitter/X.
So here we have a woman lifting up other women, celebrating female friendship, using her voice for positive societal and political progressions, and just genuinely being her authentic, vulnerable self. Surely that’s as good a role model as any?
“I don’t think she’s trying to be a role model”, said my equally Charli XCX-obsessed friend, author Oenone Forbat. “And I don’t think it’s agenda-driven, either. She’s just making cool music and being herself, which makes it quite refreshing.”
I couldn’t agree more – and while I think Charli herself might cringe at the thought of being called a role model, perhaps that’s part of what makes her one.