WHERE'S THE BRAT IN KAMALA HARRIS' CAMPAIGN WARDROBE?
October 29, 2024
Isabella Xu
Image-wise, Kamala Harris’s campaign has all but tapped into the fervor of youth.
Neon green edits of her laughing face flash to pop-star Charli XCX’s hit album, BRAT; her merchandising team even released a “Harris-Walz” camo baseball cap reminiscent of breakout artist Chappell Roan’s tour merch. Down to the bold, bright orange text, it’s clear that the Harris campaign wishes to seem “down with the youth” (as I imagine Harris would say).
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But Harris herself doesn’t seem to have adapted quite as quickly. In the presidential debate, she sported none of the bright colors featured so heavily in her campaign’s internet presence. Instead, Harris arrived dressed in a black power-suit and white blouse. Such attire aligned with the image she’s cultivated over the past four years in office: traditionally masculine looks and sleek silhouettes, coupled with conservative navy, black, and purple colorways.
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So why hasn’t Harris’s wardrobe adopted the youth culture that the rest of her campaign has?
Well, while the pure saturation of “Brat Kamala” memes may lead us to believe otherwise, Harris herself has never officially acknowledged this derivation of her image. Her campaign team seems to have realized that they can create two entirely different images of our presidential candidate: “Brat Kamala,” who exists solely within the confines of social media, and is targeted toward Gen-Z voters who were otherwise fatigued with the stiffness of the Democratic party. The second is the tough-on-crime prosecutor, Attorney General Harris, who is geared towards an entirely different audience.
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Prosecutor Harris is the one attending debates and rallies, and ultimately, Prosecutor Harris is the image her stylist is channeling in her campaign wardrobe.
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So sure, Harris is not exactly serving looks. But it’s important to recognize that as the first woman of color to run as the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris walks an incredibly thin line.
Black and Brown women have historically been—and continue to be—disproportionately scrutinized for their professional attire. Styles popularized in Black communities, like oversized clothing and chunky gold jewelry, continue to be shunned in corporate settings. Harris, despite her professional success, is not immune to this pressure.
Harris’s silk press, a non-chemical hair-straightening technique, is such an iconic part of her image that in an interview last year with Keke Palmer, she was asked how she achieves this hairstyle.In a viral moment, Harris responded, “I don’t use a curling iron. It’s too much heat. I use a round brush.”
Harris’s commitment to this hairstyle, and the public’s subsequent habit of associating it with her, reflects the continued politicization of textured hair. A 2023 study by Dove and LinkedIn found that Black women’s natural hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as “unprofessional,” compared to straight hair.
Harris is acutely aware of this. She knows that her identity as a Black and Indian woman makes her uniquely susceptible to criticisms of unprofessionalism. As such, she’s doubled down on projecting professionalism through the most traditional of avenues: visually indicating proximity to upper-class masculinity. While Brat Kamala still exists as a manifestation of the internet, the Harris running for president isn’t in the position to rock baby tees and hotpants. She’s in it to win, and if it’s through boring pantsuits, so be it.