In case you somehow aren’t already aware, it’s a Brat summer. Charli XCX’s latest album has taken over pop culture, and its signature lime green hue and simple cover spawned all sorts of memes — there’s even an online generator to that will give your custom text a matching blur effect and plop it in front of the Brat green background. Lincoln is the first automaker I’ve seen jump onto the trend, and I don’t really understand why. Are Lincoln Navigator buyers actually listening to Charli XCX?
First of all, the meme, which was posted to Twitter, isn’t even that accurate. In front of the correct green background is a Navigator, Photoshopped to be in matching green, with “Navigator” in the correct blurry font behind it. I’ll give Lincoln a pass for including the car, as the post really wouldn’t make sense to the brand’s audience otherwise. I have a bigger problem with the caption, which reads “Lincoln Navigator® and it’s the same but green so it’s not.” This is in reference to the deluxe version of “Brat,” which is called “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not.” Crucially, instead of the normal green background, the deluxe album uses a plain white background. Lincoln should’ve chosen a different caption for the post — there are plenty of good lyrics that would’ve worked.
The bigger problem is the car itself. The Navigator is a successful vehicle for Lincoln, but I just don’t believe that any Navigator buyers are Charli XCX stans. It’s a giant SUV for people who think they need the space for their kids and/or their stuff (a small percentage of whom actually do need the space), but think an Escalade is too common, and a Wagoneer is too ugly and a Suburban is too cheap. It’s not really a car for single people or younger people, or anyone that’s very style-conscious or culture-savvy, despite the clout the Navigator had in the early 2000s. I’m sure there are plenty of “Brat” listeners that ride in Navigators, as it’s a super popular vehicle for livery services and higher-end ride shares, but I really don’t think any Charli XCX stans are actually buying Navigators. There certainly are gays and girlies who are buying Lincolns, but they’re much more likely to go after the Corsair or Nautilus.
The disconnect is evident in the replies and quotes on Lincolns tweet. There are tons of people who just don’t get the post and don’t understand the reference. Straight people getting confused by gay shit is one of my favorite types of content. Then there are people who get the reference but don’t understand why Lincoln did it in the first place. I especially enjoy the outrage over Lincoln’s disclaimer that the green color isn’t available for purchase — I agree that “Brat” green should be a real color you can buy.
Look, I appreciate the effort here, and I applaud whoever it was that got this post approved, misguided and strange as it might be. Everyone should be having a Brat summer, and if this post gets more people to become Charli XCX fans, it’s a win. And hey, maybe Lincoln will prove me wrong and get Charli into the ad campaign for the next-gen Navigator, and maybe there are more cool young people buying Navigators than I think.
Oh, and to all of the comments saying it must’ve been the “social media intern” that posted this, shut up. No interns are ever actually doing social media work like this, especially not for a major corporation or car company like this. Put some respect on the overworked, stressed-out Millennials and Gen-Zers with social media manager roles. Anyway, stream “Brat.”