Featured Essays Metropolis Black Futuras: How Three Pop Divas Adapted the Image of Metropolis’ Maschinenmensch  Almost a century after her first appearance‚ Futura has continually been resurrected and reimagined as a performing persona for pop artists–and used to tell very different stories… By Kristen Patterson | Published on March 26‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Over the summer of 2023‚ in stadia across Europe and North America‚ and projected in colossal scale on LED screen backdrops 15 meters high‚ two panels extending on either side of a central‚ circular portal‚ a woman in an electrode-adorned crown of chrome taps on the fourth wall. The membrane of light does not long divide her from her audience. The central aperture opens‚ and a contraption slides Beyoncé toward the crowd. The voice of Kevin Jz Prodigy announces‚ “EVERYONE‚ welcome to mother’s mind.” Then asks‚ “Are you ready to serve?” So‚ this will only be about the five-thousandth piece to note that the set and costume design accompanying Mother’s Grand Entrancé on her Renaissance tour pays homage to Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction classic‚ Metropolis. Specifically‚ Beyoncé adopts the iconography of the Maschinenmensch‚ the artificial robot woman who is central to the film’s plot—though is not‚ as I have seen misstated elsewhere‚ the film’s protagonist. I swear I’m not just nitpicking; this will be important. The robot‚ named “Futura” in the novelization by Thea von Harbou (who also wrote Metropolis’ script alongside Lang)‚ is a tool of exploitation. Conceived of by evil inventor Rotwang (Rudolph Klein-Rogge) as a replacement for the already exploited workers of the fictional city‚ she is ultimately utilized by the chief capitalist‚ Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel)‚ to supplant the workers’ spiritual leader‚ Maria (Brigitte Helm)‚ by stealing her identity. In the film’s most famous scene‚ Rotwang and Fredersen give a sort of proof of concept for their plot by having Futura-qua-Maria perform a seductive dance in the ritzy Yoshiwara club‚ where her sexy gyrations drive the assembled men into fits of drooling madness.   Knowing this‚ purists and pedants alike (and I self-identify as both) might be tempted to smugly titter at performers who adopt Futura’s image‚ visually aligning themselves with a character who is a tool of devious corporate overlords looking to undermine critical thinking. She is literally an industry plant. But symbols are rarely static‚ and in the intervening near-century since the premier of Lang’s film‚ the popular perception of the figure of the robot in general and of Lang’s Maschinenmensch in particular has shifted—in no small part because of artists like Beyoncé whose adaptations don’t merely invite us in on a fun reference but ask us to see it from a different perspective. The available references to Metropolis and Futura are numerous‚ even if we restrict ourselves to the realm of music. To give just the latest update‚ Zendaya recently graced the Dune: Part Two world premiere’s red carpet in London wearing a vintage bodysuit designed by couturier Thierry Mugler to reference Lang’s famous Maschinenmensch. In fact‚ Zendaya’s fashion choice provides us with a handy demonstration of how Futura has managed to recur as an influential icon across the decades: designed by artist Walter Schulze-Mittendorff in 1927‚ referenced by the fashion designer Mugler in 1995‚ and resurrected by the actress Zendaya here in 2024. For today‚ though‚ we will focus on just three key Futura references from three recording artists: Whitney Houston‚ Janelle Monáe‚ and Beyoncé‚ all of whose extended adoptions of Futura as a performing persona comment on the performer’s relationship to their audience‚ exploring the robot not in her capacity as a villain but rather as a locus of attention. Metropolis demonstrates the power Futura has on other people; the pop star‚ crediting Futura with her own interiority‚ questions what effect the gaze of the public has on her. Whitney Houston: Queen of the Night Premiering in 1992 and working from a script that writer Lawrence Kasdan had originally written in 1975 (initially pitched as a vehicle for Diana Ross and Steve McQueen)‚ The Bodyguard was the film debut of Whitney Houston‚ arriving on the tails of her third studio album‚ I’m Your Baby Tonight. Even if you aren’t versed in Houston’s discography‚ and probably even if you aren’t from a generation that was beholden to radio‚ you’ve regardless definitely heard “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” at least a hundred times. This is all to illustrate (unnecessarily‚ given the fact) that Houston was a huge pop music star‚ and this film arrived when she was very much a reigning voice in popular music‚ and certainly the biggest voice if we go purely by the power of her instrument. So she was a natural choice‚ and reportedly star and producer Kevin Costner’s only choice‚ to play the role of Rachel Marron‚ pop idol and Oscar-nominated actress. The plot of the film revolves around the relationship between Rachel and the titular bodyguard‚ Frank Farmer‚ whom she hires at the urging of her manager after receiving anonymous death threats. Or to borrow the phrasing from Costner in the making-of documentary‚ “he [Frank] has this huge problem of protecting this chick that’s being an absolute bitch to him.” By the way‚ this film is a romance; they fall in love. The gender politics of this movie‚ and indeed of the entire ’90s‚ have not aged great. Kasdan and Costner‚ the two dominant creative voices‚ were very taken with the figure of the Kurosawa samurai‚ this warrior utterly unafraid of death‚ which they translate into the character of the bodyguard for hire. It’s an influence the film subtly nods to by having Frank take Rachel on a date to see a screening of the film Yojimbo‚the title of which translates literally to “bodyguard.” Then they repair to Frank’s house‚ where he shows her the samurai sword he has hanging up in his otherwise barren-ass basement. THEN Frank demonstrates that he apparently keeps this for-display katana fastidiously sharp by using it to cut Rachel’s scarf—which looked like it was a nice scarf‚ and he does not ask permission first. But whatever. She’s into it. They hook up. Then‚ on the very next day‚ immediately after rolling out of bed‚ he breaks things off with her. That’s not part of the samurai reference‚ it’s just the final incredible detail in an incredible sequence of events. This movie is terrible. I love it. But apart from the Kurosawa references‚ The Bodyguard features one other major cinematic allusion—specifically to our subject‚ Lang’s Metropolis. Occurring around the end of the first act‚ the “Queen of the Night” sequence serves as the first major test of Frank and Rachel’s working relationship. It is the first public event at which he must protect her‚ the premiere of her new music video at a nightclub‚ and also the first occasion where she becomes aware of the threats against her life‚ reframing for her character all of the rabid attention she is receiving. Despite the threats and Frank’s objections‚ Rachel chooses to go forward with the performance. Shots of Rachel‚ costumed in metallic chest- and head-pieces that evoke Futura‚ dancing and singing on stage are intercut with clips from Futura’s lurid dance in Metropolis projected on the screens behind her. And here the filmmakers have pulled off something really quite clever in not merely citing an apt reference—Rachel‚ like Futura‚ is presented as regularly driving her audience out of their coconuts‚ while she is herself manipulated by an ambitious‚ Rotwang-ish publicist—but in recontextualizing the images they draw on in an interesting way. Even amidst the rapid editing‚ of all the shots recycled from Lang‚ one in particular stands out‚ a collage of the leering eyes of the men from the Yoshiwara club. It’s a shot that in Metropolis emphasizes the hypnotic power of Futura’s dance‚ as the viewers are stripped of the individuality of a complete human face‚ reduced together to a mass of looking. This implication is not gone when the shot is translated into the scene in The Bodyguard‚ but in the context of the pre-established threats against Rachel’s life‚ it takes on an additional layer. The image of the eyes‚ already ominous in Lang’s film‚ suddenly feels more hostile‚ as we are conscious of the fact that someone in this club means this Futura real harm‚ and that lurking danger pollutes the general act of gazing. It’s a change that shifts the audience’s allegiance toward the performer‚ Houston/Rachel/Futura‚ by asking us to sympathize with her precarious position. It is her role to be seen‚ and heard—but by a crowd that might hide malicious actors‚ turn against her‚ or overwhelm her with their attention‚ all three of which‚ after a fashion‚ happen in the scene. This paradigm that adapts Futura into more than a vampy seductress‚ into a woman held hostage by her own popularity and the combined power and resentment that it brings‚ might be a suitable or appealing persona for any famous person‚ but it holds some particular resonances with the career of Whitney Houston‚ whose relationship to her public was fraught even before her much-covered “downfall” in the late ’90s and early 2000s. In his 2022 biography of Houston‚ Didn’t We Almost Have It All‚ music journalist Gerrick Kennedy relates how Houston was from the start of her career dogged by criticism for not being as artistically bold as her contemporaries like Madonna or Janet Jackson‚ lending fuel to the narrative that she was little more than a cypher being programmed for maximum crossover appeal by Arista executive Clive Davis. We may well make a comparison of Houston with Madonna‚ whose 1989 music video for “Express Yourself” also pays homage to Metropolis. Assuming the vampy Futura persona would have seemed a more obvious choice for Madonna‚ whose public image was far more associated with controversial‚ sexually suggestive and explicit gestures. But rather than droid-ing herself up in chrome‚ Madonna strips down and presents herself chained to a bed. It’s the same sort of risqué move that tended to earn her both attention from scandalized audiences and credit from critics. Caryn James‚ dissecting an interview Madonna gave to ABC News in 1990‚ writes how Madonna “made a distinction any honest feminist would respect. ‘I have chained myself‚’ she said. ‘There wasn’t a man that put that chain on me.’” (Bit of a No True Scotsman fallacy there‚ but never mind that now.) Houston’s image‚ meanwhile‚ was tamer‚ less outrageous‚ and for that‚ seemingly less self-assured and self-determined in her choices. Indeed‚ there was speculation that too-wholesome Whitney‚ whose bread and butter was romantic (but not sexy) ballads‚ was repressing or withholding something of her nature. Rumors swirled‚ and then were concretely inked in the press‚ that Whitney was gay and that her friend and executive assistant Robyn Crawford (described in Time magazine’s coverage as “severely handsome”) was secretly her lover. Crawford has since confirmed they did have a relationship‚ though she explains that she and Houston were not actually together concurrently with Whitney’s music career‚ a career that was taking off at the same time that AIDS epidemic was driving a national moral panic around homosexuality. The demand‚ then‚ was for Whitney Houston to embrace greater artistic authenticity by acknowledging a truth for which the public might well have damned her. An additional confounding issue for Whitney‚ not faced by Madonna‚ was her Blackness‚ which created tension between her and Black critics who felt that she had sold out by curating her image and music for a white mainstream audience. Kennedy describes how:   Because Whitney was engineered for pop audiences there was this expectation that she needed to be all things to all people—expectations heightened by the fact that Whitney was a Black woman clamoring for airplay and MTV spins alongside mostly white acts. To be a woman in pop meant exhaustive comparisons to any other woman in the industry‚ defined by what qualities they did or didn’t have. Here was a graceful singer with an extraordinary pedigree making sweet‚ romantic soul music and joyous dance anthems‚ but it was who she wasn’t that became the fascination of critics unconvinced that a Black woman wanted to sing these tunes. Whitney‚ then‚ was maligned as a sort of automaton: unprecedentedly popular‚ and yet more of a creation than a creative. It was almost certainly inadvertent that The Bodyguard’s filmmakers‚ who avoided broaching the subject of race in the film and were more invested in exploring the figure of the bodyguard than the superstar‚ came up with an image as compelling as Whitney-Futura: the star who mesmerized us with her voice‚ her charisma‚ her beauty‚ but whose perceived lack of authenticity we held against her. We wanted her to own her Blackness‚ heedless of what that part of her identity really meant to her‚ and to own her sexuality—or‚ more likely‚ to more convincingly disown her perceived homosexuality. In that context‚ the android persona here feels almost like a defiant embrace of artifice‚ a reversal of the Futura of Metropolis‚ exposing rather than concealing the mechanisms of performance. Part of that exposure throws our own gaze back at us‚ and the sight is distinctly unflattering. There we are‚ an undulating mass groping with our eyes‚ hungry for realness‚ unforgiving of reality. Janelle Monáe: Our Favorite Fugitive‚ Cindi Mayweather‚ Alpha Platinum 9000‚ Electric Lady Number One‚ and the ArchAndroid If you’ve been in Metropolis in the year 2719 and ever happened to tune into 105.5 WRDR‚ then you must have heard about Cindi Mayweather‚ Electric Lady Number One. But residents of 2024 may be more familiar with Janelle Monáe‚ acclaimed recording artist (and actor) whose first three releases‚ one EP and two full albums‚ adapt Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. In this series of concept albums‚ collectively referred to as the “Metropolis saga‚” Cindi is Monáe’s avatar‚ an android from the future—and also a popular songstress of her time—whose robot nature and messianic role parallel and commentate on her 1927 counterpart‚ Futura. The influences Monáe draws on in their own sci-fi sonic worldbuilding are much more extensive than just Lang‚ involving nods to Octavia Butler‚ Lewis Carroll‚ Philip K. Dick‚ Jimmy Hendrix‚ George Clinton‚ Sun Ra‚ David Bowie‚ Marvin Gaye‚ and The Matrix‚ to name just a few. Still‚ Metropolis remains the spine of the narrative‚ with Monáe adapting its themes of oppression‚ its romanticism‚ and its biblical gestures‚ and this time casting the exploited android as the heroine and savoir‚ rather than reserving that role for a scion of the elite like Lang’s protagonist‚ Freder. Monáe’s interpretation is deft in how it retains many of the artifacts of Lang’s original while reimplementing them in more thoughtful‚ critical ways. For instance‚ Cindi (like Futura) is a face-stealer‚ her “organic compounds” having been cloned from—who else—Janelle Monáe (who has been sent back the present from 2719—it’s a whole thing). But the audience is conscious of Cindi’s having no choice in coopting Monáe’s face‚ much as Futura had no choice. Modern viewers of Lang’s film are‚ I suspect‚ likely to note this‚ having been trained as savvy SF readers to empathize with artificial intelligences. But for all that‚ the original Futura remains a vapid and inaccessible character‚ not the self-reflecting sort. Cindi meanwhile bursts onto the stage‚ and into our ears‚ dialectically constructing her sense of self out of the artificial non-identity that society has foisted on her: I’m an alien from outer space‚I’m a cyber-girl without a face‚a heart‚ or a mind (I’m a product of the man).I’m a slave girl without a raceOn the run cuz they’re here to eraseAnd chase out my kind (they’ve come to destroy me).And I think to myselfWait‚ it’s impossible… Oh‚ she’s a thinker for sure. Throughout a text that can in places be quite densely detailed‚ Cindi’s cogitations keep us oriented. If you lose track of what a Wolfmaster is or aren’t sure if it’s important that androids apparently have gray hair‚ you don’t have to worry. So long as you’re still vibing with Cindi’s feelings‚ you’re never really lost. The main feeling that animates the albums is the conflict between Cindi’s desire for personal happiness and her higher calling to fulfill the role of the ArchAndroid‚ the prophesied revolutionary savior to android kind. This tale’s inciting incident‚ detailed in the track “March of the Wolfmasters‚” is the forbidden love affair between Cindi and the human Anthony Greendown: “And you know what that means! She is now scheduled for immediate disassembly!” Here again the plot parallels Metropolis 1927‚ wherein Freder’s love-at-first-sight encounter with Maria prompts his own radicalizing journey. Only the love is more fraught for Cindi‚ incurring violent legal consequences that recall real-world historical anti-miscegenation laws. The taboo nature of the relationship has also received a queer reading from critics and audiences‚ bolstered by scattered lyrics like “Is it weird to like the way she wear her tights?” Cindi and Sir Greendown’s union‚ matter of true love though it may be‚ seems doomed not only by the evil government but by fate‚ as Cindi is drawn into—and isolated by—her role as the ArchAndroid. On the track “57821‚” the refrain “He wonders if she is the one / She wonders if he is the one‚” eventually resolves to “I wonder if I am the one.” The common (monogamous) romantic trope of “the one” that Greendown and Cindi use to refer to one another is superseded by a different trope‚ the chosen one‚ this time with Cindi referring only to herself‚ speculating on her possible destiny as savior. That metaphorical‚ grammatical separation between them becomes literal on the final track of The ArchAndroid album‚ “BaBopByeYa‚” in which Cindi reflects on her and Anthony’s romantic history. Ultimately‚ and fatalistically‚ she feels pulled away to serve the higher calling and greater good: “I see beyond tomorrow / This life of strife and sorrow. / My freedom calls‚ and I must go.” It’s a bittersweet and resigned ending‚ one that then recurs in the sequel album‚ The Electric Lady‚ with the one-two punch of “Can’t Live Without Your Love” followed by “Sally Ride” (“I know you love me‚ but I’m still gone‚” Monáe-as-Cindi chants on the latter). It’s a much stronger and more emotionally resonant conclusion than the one delivered in the 1927 Metropolis‚ where Freder “mediates” away all conflict without instituting any real change to the hierarchies that have troubled the city‚ leading to the maudlin aphorism that “the mediator between the head and hands must be the heart.” Monáe meanwhile does not disavow romantic notions like true love or heroism‚ but she makes honest concessions in acknowledging how movements for change require sacrifice—and how some people will disproportionately bear the burden of that sacrifice. We could go on enumerating the ways that Janelle Monáe adapts Metropolis and Futura‚ how the album art and trailer for The ArchAndroid reference and synthesize the elements from Metropolis’s iconic poster‚ how the “Many Moons” short film expands on the model of Futura’s dance at the Yoshiwara club‚ or how the track “Look Into My Eyes” subverts the stereotype of the hypnotic vamp.1 I’ve focused on Monáe’s depiction of Cindi’s consciousness‚ however‚ for how it parallels our earlier discussion of Whitney Houston in expressing the psychic toll borne by the Black female artist under pressure to dazzle‚ to lead‚ to inspire‚ to represent.  Since the turn of the decade‚ spurred by mainstream re-engagement with the movement for Black civil rights in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May of 2020‚ there has arisen this pernicious narrative in some liberal circles about how Black women will “save us” by diagnosing and reforming societal ills. It’s a narrative—or a plea‚ really—that is often couched in laudatory language but which ultimately punts responsibility for driving broad social change to that one demographic without prioritizing their specific needs. In that context‚ Cindi Mayweather feels timely‚ future femme though she is‚ as a Black heroine who is very much acting in her own self-interest insofar as the community she seeks to liberate are the other androids‚ yet still it’s costly. Monáe came out as non-binary in 2022 and as pansexual in 2018. Their sexuality has been the subject of speculation and scrutiny since their first release‚ with evidence mustered like the predominant queer themes in their work and Monáe’s penchant for tuxedos and other  androgynous style choices. Here again we have to think of Whitney Houston. Yes‚ it’s generally safer to come out now than it was in the 1980s or ’90s‚ but it remains invasive to insist that someone publicly “clarify” their orientation or identity. As obvious or inevitable as it may have seemed that Monáe would come out eventually (and as someone who was listening to The Electric Lady on repeat in 2013‚ I can attest that it felt that way)‚ even if it looked like she was intentionally dropping breadcrumbs to that effect‚ the coverage seems to have worn on her‚ receiving a justifiably snappish callout on “Float‚” the leadoff track to her latest album. In her last two releases‚ Monáe has also distanced herself from the Cindi Mayweather persona‚ first with Dirty Computer and its accompanying film‚ which keeps the rebel android theme but changes the artist’s persona to simply “Jane‚” and then in 2023’s The Age of Pleasure‚ which does away with the futuristic premise altogether. It’s a shift that is‚ probably not accidentally‚ concurrent with the artist’s recentering their own peace (and pleasure) against former aspirations of saviorhood. The topic of the interface between audience and creator‚ though‚ is still very much in play. There’s a shot in the music video for “Lipstick Lover‚” the second single from The Age of Pleasure‚ that stands out: The setting is a paradise pool-party orgy‚ and the camera guides us around the scene of dancing‚ feasting‚ and bare flesh. Exhibitionism seems like the order of the day; then the camera cuts to a group of lovers in a hot tub. As a spotlight passes over them‚ they startle and look up into the lens‚ the eye of the viewer‚ with mixed expressions of surprise and censure. It’s a discomfiting moment that keeps the experience from being wholly voyeuristic. Our presence has not gone unnoticed. Between Cindi’s tribulations and Monáe’s more straightforward recent expressions‚ it’s the second time that a Futura has forced us to catch ourselves looking and made us self-conscious. Inherent in that capacity is the acknowledgement that she has the psychology and personhood to merit that sense of self-consciousness on our part. No longer is Futura the hollow vessel or flat surface onto which we can project our fears‚ lusts‚ and hopes. She has a cyber-soul‚ and you will show her respect. Beyoncé: Renaissance Woman and Alien Superstar I take it I don’t have to explain the Beyoncé phenomenon to anyone? I’ already hesitant about getting into too much detail about Janelle Monáe’s oeuvre‚ which has never quite broken fully into the mainstream but is hardly obscure. If you’re like me—well‚ you were generally aware of Beyoncé as part of Destiny’s Child and then as a solo artist consistently on Top 40 radio‚ but didn’t get especially invested in her output until her excellent eponymous album in 2013. (I did recently go back and listen to all of B’Day for the first time‚ though‚ after reading Daphne Brooks’ analysis of the album‚ and I really enjoyed it.) If my own journey can be said to be representative—and feel free to take that premise with a convivial lump of salt—then the trajectory of the culture’s relationship to Beyoncé has moved from enjoying her as a reliable hit-maker producing solid‚ non-groundbreaking pop to embracing her as an artist worthy of more wholistic treatment and higher regard. The deep cuts became mandatory listening. Take for comparison the Beyoncé of the 2000s and early 2010s next to a more outrageous act like Lady Gaga—in a way‚ the Whitney and Madonna of our time. The former flaunted an awesome melismatic vocal style‚ elevating romantic ballads that could otherwise be too boringly classic‚ while the latter leaned into provocative‚ queer‚ and avant-garde choices. See: Meat dress. But after more than two decades of proven staying power and the watershed release of Lemonade‚ it’s become undeniable that Beyoncé has (always had) keen musical instincts and a real desire to pursue her own artistic fulfillment. And that pursuit has paid off. The only other act in the business that can compare with her now in terms of influence is not Gaga but the younger Taylor Swift. After thriving in the limelight for so long and in course having only been hoisted farther up on the proverbial pedestal‚ accumulating a hive of die-hard fans‚ Beyoncé has more than earned the right to don the chrome crown of Futura. (No justification was necessary‚ but even so.) The Renaissance World Tour isn’t the first time in her career that she has drawn on the imagery of Metropolis and the Maschinenmensch—witness her performance at the 2007 BET Awards‚ when she emerged from a similar contraption to the one used on her tour…and if there’s one thing Beyoncé and Beyoncé fans all really enjoy‚ it’s a Beyoncé deep cut. But this time the Futura reference was more sustained and integrated into the larger thematic project of the Renaissance album and tour‚ with the android persona presenting a clever rhyme with the album’s electronic dance music influences‚ generally adding another layer of entendre to the proceedings—“Are you ready to serve?”—while also being neatly symbolic of the idea of a “renaissance” itself. If a rebirth represents the meeting point of past and future‚ who better to embody its contradictions than retro-futurist robot lady‚ Futura? She’s a throwback‚ she’s the unrealized potential of tomorrow‚ and she is the moment. Surviving the vicissitudes of the public eye for so long seems to have motivated that rebirth ambition for the Bey Hive’s queen‚ who discusses the toll that her career has taken on her body in the Renaissance concert film and paints a portrait of her own ambivalent feelings in her lyrics. Those feelings are alternately directed towards a lover or the singer’s public‚ and indeed those two targets at times become hard to distinguish. She sings on “HEATED” about feeling taken for granted by her man‚ and I can’t help feeling like we as the audience are also being called in for the warning: “Only a real one could tame me; only the radio could play me; oh‚ now you wish I was complacent.” That line about the radio is primarily a pun on the double meaning of the verb “play‚” but it nevertheless raises the specter of the wider listenership. The sense of a more general culpability is only sharpened in the outro‚ as Beyoncé commentates directly on self-scrutiny and emotional whiplash that being a public figure has generated: “Dimples on my hips‚ stretch marks on my tits‚ drinkin’ my water‚ mindin’ my biz; Monday I’m overrated‚ Tuesday on my dick.” To that point‚ the new life that her renaissance aims to usher in is one of greater ease and less self-diminishing perfectionism. At that notion‚ you (like me) might react initially with‚ “Beyoncé? ‘Got a lotta Chanel on me‚’ vacations-at-Cannes Beyoncé? Greater ease?” And yes‚ she obviously benefits from the privileges of wealth. But even if one wanted to argue that this superstar has been more-than-fairly remunerated for her pains or—more trenchantly‚ I think—to pursue a critique of how her art has tended to present her wealth as aspirational‚ it would be dishonest and incurious to write off her account of enduring the strains of criticism that go hand in hand with fame just because she is also affluent. That ambition to cultivate a less exacting relationship to her work cannot be understood outside of the historical context of the American cultural relationship to the Black female pop star. To draw on Gerrick Kennedy once again‚ he traces a direct line from Diana Ross to Whitney Houston to Beyoncé in an emblematic lineage of Black pop divas who were incentivized to present a circumscribed version of their Blackness that would not be too provocative or perhaps too alien to the sensibilities of white audiences. Kennedy assesses: Beyoncé grew tired of stretching herself to appease both sides with her Diana Ross approach to pop stardom. Though she never directly pandered to white audiences‚ her carefully crafted image was similar to that of Whitney’s‚ and her apolitical stance allowed her to become the most famous entertainer on the planet. It wasn’t until she stopped caring about chasing pop charts and airplay on Top 40 radio that Beyoncé began making the most socially ambitious artistic statements of her career. […] She’s one of the most decorated artists of our time and has been making the best music of her career‚ but it’s no coincidence that Beyoncé crosses over far less than she did when she was calling to all the single ladies! Even after Whitney‚ there’s still a price to pay for the freedom of thriving because of your Blackness and not in spite of it. (Kennedy identifies Beyoncé’s 2016 “Formation” Super Bowl performance as a turning point in the public’s perception of the singer’s entanglement with racial politics—and if you need a refresher on that nigh-decade-old controversy‚ refer to Jessica Williams‚ The Daily Show’s “Senior Beyoncé Correspondent‚” for a recap.) But what has all this got to do with the robot lady? It reflects on the theme we’ve been developing—how Futura‚ a character whose original narrative role was to replace laborers and steal identities‚ has in the hands of these artists become a tool for commenting on how identity and persona inflect their relationship to labor. First and not least is the implicit assertion that the act of performance is labor. Why else would someone invent a robot to do it? Not only to take on the physical wear and tear of dancing and singing‚ but to absorb the psychic damage of being in front of an audience too. For Black female performers‚ a part of that ask is to bear the brunt of projected discourses on the ideal or acceptable forms of femininity‚ of Blackness‚ of sexuality and queerness. Lang’s original film concludes with Futura being burned at the stake by a mob that labels her as “a witch!” and chases her down on the steps of a church‚ where her pyre is quickly erected. Some other schmaltzy stuff happens too‚ but that final tableau of Futura burned back down to her original robot form in front of the facade of a Gothic cathedral that is somehow smack in the middle of the futuristic city feels like an unambiguous rejection of divisive‚ newfangled modernity and futurity in favor of tradition. Our contemporary Futuras appear sensitive to the possibility of being rejected in as abrupt and dramatic a fashion. Of course‚ the “mob‚” which is to say us‚ has now gone digital itself. Everything has‚ expanding exponentially the size of the potential audience for any old act‚ and democratizing who might serve as the performer. With that has come also the democratization of Futura’s performance anxiety‚ the fear of being impersonally rejected by a crowd. There are‚ we are all coached to be aware‚ potentially a lot of cameras pointing in your direction at any given moment. Social media encourages you to point one at yourself. So don’t do anything you wouldn’t want millions of people to see—but also remember to be authentic! Looking around‚ I think the pressure is getting to us. “I will always love you‚” Beyoncé declares on the track “MY HOUSE‚” in what simply has to be a reference to Whitney’s most famous cover of that song for The Bodyguard. But rather than following up with the refrain “will always love you‚ will always love you‚” before bidding us bittersweet goodbye‚ Beyoncé adds: “but I will never expect you to love me when you don’t love yourself.” My interpretation is doubtless influenced by my particular hobbyhorse here‚ but I think this‚ in part‚ may be what she is thinking of‚ the way we are encouraged now more than ever to see ourselves through the critical eyes of real or imaginary others. Certainly‚ it comes across that way in the context of the concert documentary. How indeed could we truly enjoy Beyoncé‚ whose public image is so thoroughly mediated‚ when we are growing too media savvy to even give ourselves a break? And in a world where the usual prescription for that stressor is some version of “just be yourself‚” Futura offers an intriguing rebuttal: Be someone else for a while. Raise a barrier of persona between yourself and the more invasive avenues of modern life. Have fun with it; be “Cindi Mayweather‚” android from the year 2719‚ or Queen Bey‚ the woman whose life is just dramatic enough to be interesting without tipping into being “tacky” or uncomfortable. Maybe that’s all true. Who’s to say? Playfulness‚ after all‚ has always animated art‚ and sincerity is perfectly achievable without keeping strictly‚ nakedly autobiographical. If strangers think they need or deserve the catharsis of you sharing your history‚ your intimate cares and secret desires…no they don’t. Be a dancing robot‚ embrace artifice. Use it to give yourself the space to love yourself. Who are you? You’re that girl. You’re an alien from outer space. You’re the queen of the night. Oh yeah…[end-mark] On that last point‚ the work (and so much more) has already been done by professor of music Daphne Brooks in her book Liner Notes for the Revolution‚ pp. 111-123. ︎The post Black Futuras: How Three Pop Divas Adapted the Image of <;i>;Metropolis<;/i>;’ Maschinenmensch  appeared first on Reactor.

If there is a video game franchise that I have close to my heart that’s the Horizon franchise. When I bought my PlayStation 5 after things began to come back to normal after a traumatic period during the pandemic – and its impact on our daily lives – Horizon Zero Dawn was – alongside God of War 2018 – one of the few games in the PlayStation Plus Collection – may it rest in peace – that accompanied through a period of silence‚ shutdowns‚ and end of the world vibes. No wonder it captivated me. After all‚ the game touches on subjects such as AI and its dangers‚ the apocalypse‚ and the worst of human nature which are my favorite themes in movies and media in general. Horizon Forbidden West was one of the first games in a while that I pre-ordered and enjoyed on launch date and it took what made Aloy’s first adventure and expanded it in a way I couldn’t believe was possible. From the story’s stakes to the graphics‚ the animations‚ the characters’ a...

The Illuminator is a passive item in LEGO Fortnite that can be equipped to keep a constant glow around you. It’s a difficult item to know how to create‚ so here is every step to crafting an Illuminator in LEGO Fortnite. All steps to unlock and build Illuminator in LEGO Fortnite Unlike how a Torch requires you to use your off-hand‚ the Illuminator is equipped to you and stays on you. It doesn’t run out and stays on you day and night. It appears as glowing dots above your head which is a nice visual — and you’ll have nice visuals at night since you’ll radiate a constant glow. Screenshot: PC Invasion To craft an Illuminator in LEGO Fortnite‚ you need to go to the Charm section in your Crafting Bench. The crafting requirements for an Illuminator are high‚ but thankfully‚ you only need to craft it once. From there‚ you need the following items: Three Wool Thread Five Purple Thermal Fish Ten Glass Ten Brightcore How to get Wool Thread in...

Like any new game‚ even with tutorials‚ it’s going to take a while to get used to things and learn everything. Let’s go over some tips and tricks for beginners starting Palia‚ the cozy farming sim and MMO. Beginners tips and tricks for Palia Screenshot: PC Invasion Choosing your appearance As soon as you jump into Palia‚ you’re going to be making your character. If you don’t know already‚ you should know that once you leave character creation‚ you won’t be able to change certain things. You won’t be able to change your body‚ face‚ skin tone‚ eyes‚ or voice once inside the game. But luckily‚ there will be ways to change your hair and clothes later on. So make sure you’re okay with how you look besides the changeable features. Screenshot: PC Invasion Swapping and unequipping tools Throughout the introduction of Palia‚ you’ll quickly receive all of your tools. You can access these tools by holding the “R” ke...

If you log into Fortnite today‚ you might be one of the lucky people who gets 950 V-Bucks gifted to them. Thanks‚ Epic Games! But‚ why is this free V-Bucks glitch happening and how do I get in on it? How to get free V-Bucks glitch in Fortnite Today‚ Fortnite players worldwide are reporting that they are getting 950 V-Bucks just from logging in. The servers aren’t down‚ there’s just a glitch that is giving random people free V-Bucks. But is it really random? Though it’s not officially confirmed why this free V-Bucks glitch is happening‚ our current working theory is that the latest update confused the season as being over which automatically refunded the Battle Pass to people who have it. But it gets deeper than that. Myself and one of my colleagues didn’t receive the free 950 V-Bucks upon logging in. However‚ my other colleague did. I don’t own the Battle Pass‚ so I didn’t get the 950 V-Bucks. That makes sense. But my two colleagues both ...

O n the evening of June 5‚ 1944‚ Louis Leroux‚ his wife‚ and their six children scrambled atop an embankment near their farm to investigate the sounds of distant explosions. Three miles south‚ Allied fighter-bombers were attacking bridges over the Douve River on France’s Cotentin Peninsula. In the fading twilight the family watched silhouetted warplanes peel away from the glowing tracers of German anti-aircraft fire that stabbed skyward. When the excitement ended‚ the Lerouxs returned home to bed‚ unaware that their farm would play a vital role in the Allied liberation of France.  Their slumber was disturbed a few hours later by the droning of low-flying aircraft. Gazing out their windows‚ they were startled to see descending parachutes. “They looked like big falling mushrooms‚” recalled Madame Leroux. “We didn’t know what they were but could see that they were landing in the marshes.” When shrapnel from German flak shells pelted the roof‚ Madame Leroux and her husband gathered their children to take shelter in the stone stairwell.  The farmstead sat on the east bank of the Merderet River‚ which bisected the Cotentin Peninsula north to south. The farm overlooked one of just two crossing points: the La Fière Bridge on the road to the village of Sainte-Mère-Église. While on the high ground‚ the family home was closer to the riverbank than originally intended thanks to the German occupiers who‚ recognizing the defensive potential of the landscape‚ had manipulated locks to flood the area with seawater. Rivers and streams had overflowed their banks to turn wide swaths of bucolic fields into swampland and a shallow lake. At dawn on June 6‚ a platoon of Germans arrived at the Leroux’s farm. They searched the stables and occupied the house while the family retreated upstairs to the main bedroom. When gunfire erupted outside‚ the Lerouxs again scrambled for cover. Bullets cracked through windows‚ splintering shutters and ricocheting off interior stone walls. The staccato of German Mausers‚ MP40s‚ and MG42s echoed through the house as the occupiers fired back at the attackers. As the 505th PIR prepares for its drop‚ Major Frederick C.A. Kellam‚ the 1st Battalion commander (left)‚ makes final adjustments to a trooper’s harness. Kellam did not survive the fighting at La Fière Bridge. During a pause in the shooting‚ the family rushed downstairs‚ past wounded Germans sprawled in the kitchen‚ and into the wine cellar. Wanting to flee‚ they nudged open the external cellar door. Spotting a soldier—who they thought was British—they yelled‚ “Français! Français!” He replied in French: “Stay where you are and close the door!”  Several hours later the door opened‚ and the same soldier commanded them‚ again in French‚ “Get out!”  The Lerouxs now realized the soldiers were American paratroopers. They questioned the French family to learn how many Germans were inside‚ and then the shooting resumed as the French family sought cover. “The noise took our breath away‚” admitted Madame Leroux. The Americans were peppering the house with rifles and machine guns. The skirmish ended after a bazooka round exploded into the house and paratroopers sprinted in to herd the surrendering Germans out. In the lull that followed‚ the Lerouxs celebrated their violent liberation by gifting a bottle of Calvados brandy to the Americans. “They asked us to drink some first‚” recalled Madame Leroux‚ “which we did. Then they all drank some.” The paratroopers‚ there to seize the bridge and expecting a German counterattack‚ told the Lerouxs it was too dangerous for them to stay. The family packed food and blankets before walking to a neighbor’s home. During their exodus‚ they passed more American troopers heading to the bridge. The La Fière bridge was the D-Day objective of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Capturing the bridge intact was critical to the Allies’ plans: first‚ they needed to prevent the Germans from using it to move reinforcements against the landings at Utah Beach and second‚ they wanted the bridge to serve later as an artery for armor and infantry to break out from the beachhead toward the ultimate objective: the port of Cherbourg. A member of the 505th later described the nighttime parachute drop they had made into Normandy as “a model of precision flying and perfect execution.” Pilots of the 315th Troop Carrier Group—veterans of missions in Sicily and Italy—had dropped their passengers right on target. Under the command of Lieutenant John “Red Dog” Dolan‚ Able Company assembled 98 percent of its troopers within an hour. The 505th’s sister regiment‚ the 507th‚ was supposed to land on the opposite side of the Merderet‚ but it was not as fortunate. Weather‚ anti-aircraft fire‚ and hopelessly lost pilots scattered them across 60 square miles.  With their drop zone just a half-mile from their objective‚ Dolan’s lead platoon pushed through the graying light of dawn and reached the Leroux’s farm in 30 minutes. The troopers immediately searched the bridge for demolition charges and put the German occupiers under siege. By mid-morning‚ with the help of paratroopers from the 508th PIR‚ the east side of the bridge was secure‚ but the scattered state of the 507th left the defense of the west side in a weakened state. Major Frederick C.A. Kellam‚ the 1st Battalion commander‚ organized his men as well as troopers from other scattered units into a perimeter. The troopers of the 505th‚ most of whom had seen combat in Sicily and Italy‚ provided the backbone of his defense. As one of the veterans recalled‚ “We knew exactly what to expect on the upcoming mission: incoming mortar rounds‚ the terrifying German 88s‚ machine pistols‚ and one-on-one attacks against machinegun nests.”  The road past the bridge cut across the swampy marshland via an elevated‚ tree-lined causeway almost 700 yards long. Kellam’s men dug in on a gentle slope facing the river. The position was less than ideal as it left them in the open and in view of any Germans on the far side‚ but defending from the protected reverse slope wasn’t an option. One positive‚ though‚ was that any attack from the opposite side could only come across the narrow causeway.  Brigadier General James M. Gavin was the division’s second in command. Right: Private Joseph Fitt was awarded the Silver Star for taking out a tank at the bridge. He was killed in action a week later. “Red Dog” Dolan positioned Able Company closest to the bridge: a platoon on each side‚ plus another in reserve 400 yards to the rear. Dolan’s heavy firepower consisted of three .30-caliber belt-fed machine gun crews and two bazooka teams dug in to the left and right of the bridge. He also positioned a 57mm anti-tank gun 500 feet back‚ at a bend in the road where it had a direct line of fire down the causeway. A platoon of combat engineers stood by to blow the bridge in the event of an enemy breakthrough. To prevent that‚ troopers blocked the far side of the bridge with Hawkins mines. “We placed our anti-tank mines right on the top of the road where the Germans could see them‚” recounted Sergeant William D. Owens‚ “but could not miss them with their tanks.”  The troopers created an additional roadblock by pushing a German flatbed truck—disabled during the earlier firefight for the farmhouse—into the middle of the bridge.  A reconnaissance of the far bank revealed it was occupied by only a handful of 507th troopers rather than the expected battalion. Without radio contact and the planned-for support‚ the men led by Kellam and Dolan were on their own. The first sign of trouble came at 4:00 p.m. when scout Francis C. Buck came hightailing it back across the long causeway. He’d heard spurts of gunfire followed by the unmistakable clanking of tanks. Close behind him were a few men from the west bank who were fleeing the German advance. Buck paused briefly at the two bazooka positions to give them a heads-up before sprinting to Kellam’s command post.  The American defenders had only a single 57mm anti-tank gun and limited ammunition but they made good use of their resources. The enemy heralded their attack with an artillery barrage‚ which lifted as four tanks rolled across the causeway. Following them were an estimated 200 infantrymen. The Americans held their fire—the fleeting glimpses of field gray uniforms darting between the trees wasn’t yet worth wasting ammunition. The first tank—a Panzer Mk III—paused 40 yards short of the bridge. The commander‚ apparently spotting the mines‚ opened his hatch and stood up for a better look. One of Dolan’s machine gun crews squeezed off a burst at the tempting target and killed him instantly. With that‚ the American line erupted with rifle and machine gun fire. The two bazooka teams went to work. Gunners Lenold Peterson and Marcus Heim abandoned their foxhole so they could aim around a concrete telephone pole. To their right‚ Privates John D. Bolderson and Gordon C. Pryne did the same. Just a few hours earlier‚ Pryne had been a rifleman‚ “But on the jump‚ one of the guys on the bazooka team broke his ankle‚” he said. “They gave that job to me. I didn’t want it‚ really‚ but they said‚ ‘You got it.’”  The two teams pummeled the lead tank‚ which in turn fired a round at Peterson and Heim. It flew high‚ shattering the telephone pole. Dolan later admitted‚ “To this day‚ I’ll never be able to explain why all four of them were not killed. They fired and reloaded with the precision of well-oiled machinery.”  Captured French tanks that the Germans used for their attack across the causeway toward the bridge fell victim to the 505th’s stubborn defense on June 6. The lead tank was hit by several 2.36-inch high-explosive rockets‚ one of which disabled a track while another briefly set it alight. Peterson and Heim advanced to get a better shot at the second tank—a captured French Renault R-35 painted Wehrmacht gray—which was some 20 yards behind the first. Heim later recalled‚ “We moved forward toward the second tank and fired at it as fast as I could load the rockets into the bazooka. We kept firing at the second tank‚ and we hit it in the turret where the body joins it‚ also in the tracks‚ and with another hit it also went up in flames.” The 57mm gun fired as well and was subjected to heavy enemy retaliation. In the melee‚ two tank rounds punched through the glacis shield‚ and seven men were killed keeping it in operation. A third tank now lumbered toward the bridge as German mortar shells pounded the American line. Although the first tank was disabled‚ the main gun and machine gun were still barking out shells. Rushing out from his foxhole‚ Private Joseph C. Fitt scrambled atop the first tank to toss a hand grenade into the open hatch and finish off the crew. While the tank battle raged‚ the German infantry struggled to advance against the weight of American firepower. One paratrooper observed that the bunched-up enemy‚ seeking cover along the treelined causeway‚ “made a real nice target.” Wounded soldiers of the 505th receive treatment at an aid station in Sainte-Mère-Église. The regiment’s action at the bridge prevented the Germans from advancing this far‚ but it came at a heavy price. With the German attack stalling‚ the two bazooka teams yelled for more ammo. Three men‚ including Major Kellam‚ scrambled forward with satchels of rockets. The trio was 15 yards from the bridge when another mortar and artillery barrage crashed in. Kellam was killed‚ and the other two men badly wounded‚ one mortally. Kellam’s death made Dolan the senior officer. His first action after taking command was to dispatch a runner to the regiment’s command post to advise them what happened. Artillery continued to rain in. “They really clobbered us‚” admitted Owens. “I don’t know how it was possible to live through it.” Owens’ platoon was out front. When his radioman with the walkie-talkie took a direct shell hit‚ they lost contact with Dolan. “So‚ from then on‚ as far as we were concerned‚ we were a lost platoon‚” said Owens. Anticipating another attack‚ Owens slithered from foxhole to foxhole collecting grenades and ammunition from the dead to redistribute to his men. “I knew we would need every round we could get our hands on.” The enemy infantry rushed forward again‚ passing the knocked-out tanks and getting closer to Owens’ platoon‚ which poured fire into their ranks. “The machine gun I had was so hot it quit firing‚” said Owens. He shouldered a dead man’s BAR‚ firing it until he ran out of ammo‚ then he switched to a second machine gun of a knocked-out crew.  Owens could hear another machine gun stitching the German flank and the plonking belch of a 60mm mortar lobbing shells along the causeway. Riflemen squeezed off shot after shot. It was getting desperate. “We stopped them‚” Owens recounted‚ “but they had gotten within twenty-five yards of us.”  Just as the German attack failed‚ Colonel Mark J. Alexander‚ the regimental executive officer‚ arrived with 40-odd paratroopers he had managed to collect along the way. His inspection of the defenses confirmed they were set as well as could be expected. Shortly thereafter‚ the division’s second-in-command‚ Brigadier General James M. Gavin‚ arrived with men from the 507th. Gavin concurred with Alexander’s assessment‚ later recounting that Dolan’s troopers holding the bridge were “well organized and had the situation in hand.” A happy French citizen welcomes members of the 82nd Airborne in front of the wreckage of a German Panzer Mk III. The soldiers look pleased to see her‚ too. Alexander asked Gavin‚ “Do you want me on this side‚ the other side‚ or both sides of the river?”  After glancing at the far bank‚ Gavin replied‚ “You better stay on this side because it looks like the Germans are getting pretty strong over there.” The two officers agreed that attacking across the bridge would divide their manpower and might cost them the bridge in the face of a strong counterattack. German shells continued to pummel the American positions. One shell exploded on the edge of a foxhole‚ burying the two occupants. Alexander helped dig them out and then sent them back to the medics. First Sergeant Robert M. Matterson‚ who was directing the wounded to the aid station‚ said they were coming back in such numbers that he “felt like a policeman directing traffic.” Indeed‚ as the day ended‚ dozens of men flowed past while dozens more of their comrades lay dead‚ strewn across the battlefield.  Sunset gave way to darkness‚ with a bright moon that was occasionally obscured by scudding clouds. Throughout the night‚ the Germans periodically lobbed artillery shells at the Americans‚ while Alexander dispatched supply parties to scour the division’s drop zone for more ammunition. At dawn‚ the rising sun released mist from the surrounding swamps and heralded the arrival of a squad of airborne engineers along with two more machine gun crews. Colonel Alexander warmly welcomed the men and directed them to dig in.  The additional firepower was much needed‚ but Alexander was still concerned about his available arsenal: “We had no long-range firepower other than machine guns. Well‚ we had one 57mm gun with six rounds of ammunition and a limited supply of mortar rounds‚ but this all had to be held in reserve for any serious effort the Germans might make to cross the bridge.”  Alexander’s mental inventory was interrupted when a group of paratroopers on the far side of the Merderet River attempted to wade across. He watched helplessly as German fire cut into the men sloshing through the water. A handful made it to safety‚ but most were killed and several of the wounded drowned. The Germans preceded their next attack with intensified shelling‚ including tree bursts. Two more captured French Renault tanks were in the vanguard. Dolan’s 57mm crew held their fire—with only six rounds left they wanted a clear shot. But when the lead tank boldly geared onto the bridge‚ the 57mm crew cracked off a round. The shell struck the tank‚ sending it and its partner into retreat. Nestled in front of the anti-tank gun was Corporal Felix Ferrazzi‚ a radioman serving as a machine gunner. With a clear view down the causeway‚ he added to the mayhem with repeated bursts of fire into the advancing Germans. The gunners implored him to move due to the 57mm’s muzzle blast‚ but despite being wounded‚ Ferrazzi stayed put—until a mortar shell mangled his .30-caliber. The other Americans added to the wall of lead‚ especially Sergeant Oscar Queen‚ who estimated he fired 5‚000 rounds from his belt-fed machine gun.  The bucolic scene at La Fière Bridge today belies the fierce fighting that took place here in 1944. This view is from the western side of the Merderet River. Thirty minutes into their attack‚ the Germans floundered. They began their withdrawal as the paratroopers neared their breaking point. Dolan’s 1st Platoon was down to 15 men; one squad had just three troopers still standing. Owens sent a runner to report to Dolan: they were almost out of ammo and unable to repel the next attack; could they pull back? Dolan replied‚ “No‚ stay where you are.” He then scribbled a short message for the runner to relay to Owens: “We stay. There is no better place to die.” With his orders in hand‚ Owens organized what was left of his platoon. But the Germans had had enough. They waved a Red Cross flag and requested a 30-minute truce to recover their wounded. Owens and his comrades used the time to bring up more ammo and determine who was still alive. Able Company had suffered 17 killed and 49 wounded; the battalion was down to 176 men. The exhausted Owens then sought a better view of the causeway. “I estimated I could see at least 200 dead or wounded Germans scattered about. I don’t know how many were in the river‚” he said‚ “Then I sat down and cried.” But the battle for La Fière Bridge wasn’t over. For the Allies to break out of the beachhead‚ the stalemate had to be broken. Later that evening‚ General Gavin relieved the battered 505th paratroopers with elements of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. In a charge rivaling the Light Brigade‚ the glider men made a daylight assault across the causeway on June 9. Pushing through the pall of friendly artillery and withering enemy fire‚ they successfully occupied the far bank‚ while another group of 100 paratroopers swarmed in behind them to help secure the foothold. The road to Cherbourg was now open for Major General J. Lawton Collins’ VII Corps‚ but it came at a heavy cost. The 82nd Airborne had suffered 254 men killed and more than 500 wounded to seize‚ hold‚ and secure the vital bridge at La Fière.  The Leroux family returned to find their home in ruins and most of their livestock victims of the crossfire. They lived in the stable—as it had suffered the least damage—rebuilding their farm over the next five years. They moved back into their home in time for Christmas 1949.  “Our family celebrated‚” recalled Madame Leroux‚ “happy‚ in spite of our misery‚ to all be back together without having suffered any dead or wounded‚ thanks to the American soldiers who fought to liberate and save us.”

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Kefir‚ kimchi‚ and sauerkraut: not the best combination together‚ but as a part of a balanced diet‚ these fermented products are superfoods. Fermentation can make a piece of cabbage last months‚ even years‚ but what is the pickling power that makes it possible?What are fermented foods?Food fermentation is an example of biotechnology‚ which is the exploitation of biological processes to manipulate living and organic things. It’s one of the oldest examples of how humans have harnessed naturally occurring products to our benefit‚ as well as one of the most delicious.Why does fermentation make food last longer?Fermented foods are produced by blending them with ingredients that can tease out a sour flavor in foods without the addition of acidic brine. The resulting environment is one that harmful microbes can’t thrive in‚ hence why fermented foods last for so long.Sauerkraut and yogurt are great sources of live cultures‚ but not all pickles are fermented foods.Image credit: Marekuliasz / Shutterstock.com“The fermentation process involves the oxidation of carbohydrates to generate a range of products‚ which are principally organic acids‚ alcohol‚ and carbon dioxide‚” wrote E. Medina et al. in 2016. “Such products have a preservative effect by limiting the growth of spoilage or pathogenic microbiota in the food. These include many organic acids such as lactic and acetic acids produced as end products‚ which provide an acidic environment unfavorable for the growth of many pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms.”Fermented vs pickled – what’s the difference?While the fermentation process produces lactic and acetic acid (that delicious sour tang) as end products‚ pickling kicks off the process by introducing such acidic ingredients. The processes are very similar‚ but typically your average pickle packs fewer health benefits compared to fermented food. Pickling is‚ however‚ a great way of preserving food that also makes it last longer‚ but when it comes to keeping your gut microbiome happy‚ it doesn’t quite match up to fermented superfoods.Why are fermented foods good for us?Probiotics are a great way to keep your microbiome happy as they top up the good kind of bacteria that we need for our guts – and just about everything else – to function properly. Once upon a time‚ we were consuming these good bacteria regularly‚ but with the rise of processed foods and antibacterial cleaning habits‚ we stopped coming into contact with as many good bacteria as our guts might like.If you want to avoid leaky gut syndrome‚ fermented foods are the way to go.Image credit: Wollertz / Shutterstock.comAdding fermented foods to your diet is a great and tasty way to work towards having a happier gut microbiome‚ but you need to choose your fighter carefully. The key ingredient is live cultures‚ something you’ll find in kefir‚ kimchi‚ sauerkraut‚ and some – but not all – pickles‚ as well as yogurt.What happens if our gut microbiome is unhappy?A solid gut microbiome strengthens the function of our digestive system‚ preventing something known as “leaky gut syndrome” that involves exactly what it says on the tin. As Professor of Nutrition at Harvard Dr David Ludwig told Harvard Health Publishing‚ chronic exposure to these leaking substances has been linked to everything from asthma‚ allergies‚ and eczema to schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease‚ so it pays to keep topping up on your probiotics.And the best bit? Sauerkraut tastes great with everything.

Think of all the famous psychopaths you know‚ both real and fictional. Chances are‚ for every Bonnie you’ve got about 10 Clydes. That’s because we tend to think of psychos as being criminally insane men - an image that has been continually reinforced by on-screen maniacs like Norman Bates (Psycho)‚ Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)‚ Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) et al. Yet if Hollywood is guilty of overly-attributing cold-bloodedness to the male gender then so too is science. From the early days of research on psychopathy in the first half of the 20th century‚ the trait has been approached as though it were synonymous with violent criminality‚ which in our society is a heavily male-dominated pastime. It’s only in recent years that our understanding of the psychopath has become more nuanced‚ highlighting how the label might apply to greater numbers of unexpected individuals‚ including women.How Many Female Psychopaths Are There?No one knows for sure how many people are psychopaths‚ largely because the term is hard to define and even harder to diagnose. In general terms‚ psychopaths are thought to have a diminished capacity to feel empathy or guilt‚ which makes them more likely to commit moral transgressions. These offenses may involve violence or deceit‚ but can also include more subtle misdeeds like using others for personal gain or generally acting selfishly.Popular estimates suggest that about 1 percent of men display psychopathic traits‚ while the figure for women is said to be between four and 10 times lower. However‚ with a lack of large-scale‚ population-level studies to back these statistics up‚ they remain mere speculation.The unreliability of these estimates has recently caught the attention of Dr Clive Boddy from Anglia Ruskin University‚ an expert on psychopathy in the corporate world. “My research so far doesn’t really focus on female psychopaths but I did notice that the measures I use in quantitative research kept picking up more female psychopaths than theoretically expected‚ so I investigated the literature and found there’s little reason to expect lower numbers of females than males‚” he told IFLScience.“In my six quantitative studies‚ I have consistently found more female primary psychopaths than expected.” For clarity‚ primary psychopaths are the kind that tend to appear in movies and are characterized by callousness‚ superficial charm‚ and manipulative tendencies. Secondary psychopaths‚ on the other hand‚ display impulsivity and an inability to make long-term plans.Based on his own surveys of white-collar workers and their experiences with psychopathic bosses or employees‚ Boddy says that incidence rates of female to male psychopaths are “about 1.14:1 rather than the 5:1 or 4:1 or even 10:1 quoted in the literature. This means the incidence of female (at least primary) psychopaths could be around 1 percent – the same figure that is often quoted for male psychopathy.” If we take the 5:1 oft-quoted in the literature that means that instead of around 17 percent of psychopaths being women‚ it could be more like 47 percent. Why Have Female Psychopaths Flown Under The Radar?“All the initial studies of psychopaths were of men in prison who were psychopathic‚ so there’s always been this idea that psychopaths are male criminals‚” says Boddy. “And I think that psychologists and the general public haven't really got over that view of what a psychopath is yet.”These early studies – many of which were conducted in the 1940s – continued to influence researchers for half a century‚ and provided much of the framework for the Levenson self-report psychopathy scale (LSRP)‚ which was developed in 1995 as a means of diagnosing primary and secondary psychopathy. According to Boddy‚ such tools “are not necessarily suitable for identifying non-criminal or non-male psychopaths‚” as they “capture the essential characteristics of psychopathy without the confounding variables related to criminality and masculinity.” Other similar scales‚ such as the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R)‚ have also been created‚ yet the suitability of these devices for analyzing female psychopathy has consistently been challenged.For example‚ a study conducted in 2002 found that the PCL-R is less capable of identifying psychopathy in women than in men‚ possibly because of differences in anxiety and negative emotions between male and female psychopaths. Another study from 2017 concluded that psychopaths of both sexes can’t be grouped together since “females with a psychopathic personality were more frequently exposed to sexual abuse‚ expressed more emotional difficulties‚ and engaged in higher levels of relational aggression.”Largely as a result of these male-skewed notions of psychopathy‚ Boddy says that men who show traits associated with the condition “are more likely to be identified as psychopaths because of gender expectations.” In contrast‚ people simply aren’t primed to see women in this way‚ so females who act psychopathically are often placed in a different category.“Many of the characteristics of psychopathy are seen as male characteristics so when women display the same characteristics they are seen as out of place and are attributed to other personality types‚” he says.How Do Male And Female Psychopaths Differ?“There is‚ as yet‚ no reason to believe that female psychopaths have different drivers and motivations than their male peers do‚” says Boddy‚ whose new book‚ A Climate Of Fear: Stone Cold Psychopaths At Work‚ examines the impact of psychopaths within business organizations. “They both like to hurt people‚ but they do it in different ways.”To date‚ there have been no significant studies looking at how psychopathy is expressed in men versus women‚ but based on his own research and observations‚ Boddy suggests that there may be some natural differences in the way the two behave. “For example‚ as women‚ on average‚ have lower upper body strength than males then the option of physical violence to achieve desired ends may be less available to them and they may rely instead on relational aggression‚ flirtation‚ manipulation‚ coercion‚ and seduction‚” he says.Returning to his field of psychopathy in the business world‚ he goes on to explain that many female psychopaths actually have to modify their behavior in ways that men don’t because of gender expectations in the workplace. For instance‚ there is evidence to show that “if a female psychopath behaves like a male psychopath – in other words‚ she's overly aggressive at work – then that works to her disadvantage because it goes against role expectations‚” says Boddy. “And so to get ahead‚ they will have to suppress that aggressiveness and be more calculating‚ subtle‚ maneuvering‚ and cunning.” Despite these claims‚ it’s currently impossible to provide any solid scientific data to support a fundamental difference between male and female psychopaths. The closest we’ve got is a 2014 brain imaging study that found that the neural activity patterns of psychopathic women are largely similar but not entirely identical to those of men with the same traits.For instance‚ the study revealed that when processing emotional stimuli‚ female psychopaths display reduced activation in the brain’s key emotional centers like the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex‚ thus replicating previous findings in male psychopaths. However‚ unlike their male counterparts‚ the women in the study also showed abnormal activity in a brain region called the temporoparietal junction. Exactly how this translates into behavior is yet to be determined‚ and the full neurological correlates of psychopathy in women are still unclear. What is apparent‚ however‚ is that while male and female psychopaths share the same underlying traits‚ how this manifests can differ between genders.Perhaps that’s something Hollywood can run with.