Elon Musk Photo illustration

by Jonathan Raa_NurPhoto (Shutterstock)

Each week one of Popdust's disposable clones — grown in a vault deep beneath the Mojave desert — is exposed to the outside world through a relentless feed of news, pop culture, and social media.

The arduous process accelerates their dissolution back into an amorphous clone slurry. But before they go, they leave behind a document of what they've absorbed and what they've learned — a time capsule preserving a single moment in the slow-motion collapse of civilization. An End Times Update...

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This week, Saturday Night Live announced that it would be featuring an unusual host: Billionaire entrepreneur and self-proclaimed "technoking" Elon Musk.

Musk, who is one of the richest people in the world, has long been a polarizing figure. He appears to be quite happy about hosting SNL, and tweeted, "Let's find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is" shortly after the news dropped.

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CULTURE

Late Capitalism Diaries: Comedy Central and Awkwafina's New Marketing is Pure Evil

They have found the key to making my morning commute even more unpleasant

Akwafina

Photo by DFree (Shutterstock)

Comedy Central has a new show starring Awkwafina, and you are not allowed to watch it.

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TV

Harry Styles in a Tutu Isn't "Performative Femininity"

The pop star posed in full ballerina garb for "Saturday Night Live," and the internet had conflicting thoughts.

SNL

Harry Styles further solidified his status as an international treasure over the weekend, pulling double duty as both the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

The former One Direction heartthrob showed off his knack for precise joke timing and his best crack at multiple accents, using his monologue to poke fun at his own boy band history. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Styles shared a few photos from set on his Instagram, in which he's sporting an embroidered, bubblegum pink leotard, tights, and a full tutu. Combined with his moppy hair, chunky rings, black nail polish, and collage of tattoos, it's an unmistakable portrayal of what makes Styles so emblematic: his ability to take aesthetic inspiration from classic rock stars and mix it with his own campy flair.

But some took issue with Styles' ballerina ensemble. After a fan account shared the photos on Twitter, another user, @posebitch, retweeted them, commenting: "This performative femininity s**t has to stop, and what's worse is how y'all eat it up." The fan account has since deleted their tweet.

To an extent, these concerns are valid. The trope of hypermasculine, presumably straight men dressing in traditionally feminine clothing for comedic purposes is growing more tired by the minute. But to those familiar with Styles, these ballerina photos shouldn't come off as performative: It feels like a genuine part of his brand as an artist, particularly considering his reputation for rocking statement jewelry, ruffles, and bold patterns and textures.

Styles has never explicitly defined his sexuality, but he's left clues in his music before that have led fans to believe he might not be straight: 2018's "Medicine" references him " messing around" with men and women, while a crowd of both are prominently featured caressing him in the music video for this year's "Lights Up." He's a recognized advocate for the LGBT+ community, going so far as to claim "we're all a little bit gay" onstage at a Los Angeles show in 2018, and even helping a fan come out as bisexual to her mother. Not to mention for the entirety of his solo career, his concert and event attire has famously erred on the side of flashy and feminine (he wore alternating pink and blue nail polish for the duration of his SNL episode). With all this context—enough to solidify Styles as a genuine supporter of queer folks and potentially a queer person himself—why would a photo of him in a tutu be considered "performative?" It's understandable that comedies like White Chicks, 2007's Hairspray, and Tyler Perry's Madea franchise might trivialize the experience of gender expression for trans women, but coming from Harry Styles, these photos feel like a (presumably cisgender) man genuinely expressing himself and not a man just putting on a dress for some cheap laughs.

It's also important to think of the flip side of this circumstance, as female stars have long been heralded for donning menswear-inspired looks. Of course, Styles' tutu is absolutely more costumey than an oversized blazer and slacks, but these women weren't chastised nearly as often for transcending fashion's gender norms. Why is it OK for women to embrace their masculine side, but when the reverse occurs like in Styles' case, it's accused of being a performance?

While cultural appropriation is unfortunately still alive and well among white artists, this instance of so-called "gender appropriation" is a non-issue. Part of what makes Styles so beloved as a public figure is that he doesn't restrict himself to the confines of traditional masculinity and manhood, and as a result, fans of all genders can hopefully feel a little more comfortable in their own individual gender expression. There are bigger things to worry about than a man in a tutu—especially if doing so helps that man feel more confident in his skin.

TV

Phoebe Waller-Bridge Brings Her Brand of Psychopathic Raunch to "SNL"

The "Fleabag" writer shines brightest (in her usual vulgar way) in her opening monologue.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has had a successful past few years, to say the least.

The Emmy-winning writer of Fleabag and Killing Eve brought her brand of unfiltered brashness to the SNL screen this Saturday in an episode that felt like a victory lap. Still, while worth watching for any Waller-Bridge fans, the show wasn't quite able to live up to the level of comedic brilliance we've come to expect from her.

The best part was probably Waller-Bridge's opening monologue, in which she stated that everything she writes has a "grain of truth" to it, discussed genit*lia for several minutes, and definitively explained why Fleabag's "Hot Priest" is so hot: It's because he actually listens. She discussed psychopathy, which is brought to the fore on Killing Eve, and theorized that she herself might even be a psychopath (or at least, everyone she knows is). She closed with some killer lines like, "Back then horny women were to be burned at the stake. Now they're given Emmys!"

Unfortunately, the rest of the show took a slightly downward turn following that monologue. While it might be a bit harsh to call SNL an "aging, decrepit beast that should've been put out of its misery seasons ago," as Vice did in its review of this episode, several of this show's sketches faltered dangerously. Last week's debut episode was promising with its clever depiction of the Democratic presidential candidates, but then again, those jokes kind of write themselves.

At least this episode, despite no shortage of lackluster jokes, we got to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge use many different accents and play a couple of memorable roles, including a psychopathic war wife who gallivants around with Hitler in the sketch "Words of the War." That sketch was possibly one of the episode's best, mostly thanks to Waller-Bridge's excellent deadpan and the scene's escalating absurdity. Weekend Update was also a highlight, featuring Kate McKinnon's lovably aggressive Elizabeth Warren, a well-placed Pete Davidson joke, and a flamboyant Chen Biao, played by freshman cast member Bowen Yang. "Mid-Day News" was also excellent, bringing racial politics and stereotypes to the fore as South Floridian news anchors try to determine whether the criminals they're reporting on are black or white.

Weekend Update: Chen Biao on US-China Trade War - SNLwww.youtube.com


Mid-Day News - SNLwww.youtube.com

On the other hand, the odd sketch "Royal Romance" made fun of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry but never quite hit its stride, and its jokes pushed the boundaries between satire and racism. Then there was the painful "Kaylee, Crystal, and Janetta," a sketch which featured four women at a bar. Perhaps meant to be a subversion of the super-feminine, stereotypical Sex and the City type of girl gang, characters portrayed are loud, tattooed, mullet-wearing, totally unfeminine, and frequently violent women. But that sketch doesn't seem to do many favors for any of them, instead asking the audience to laugh off a sequence where they each attack an ex-lover, refusing the kind of self-aware nuance that makes Fleabag such a standout example of how to write a "difficult woman" character.

Kaylee, Crystal & Janetta - SNLwww.youtube.com

It's hard to say exactly why SNL has struggled so much over the past few years. Comedy writing is incredibly hard, but with all the absurdity in the modern era, we need excellent satire now more than ever to put it all into perspective. Still, the show could benefit from more diverse perspectives, more boundary-pushing and nuanced comedy, and stronger characters—the latter of which, specifically, Waller-Bridge is so good at creating. One has to wonder what would've happened had Waller-Bridge been able to write a few sketches herself.

TV

Andrew Yang's Tweets to Shane Gillis and Bowen Yang Is the Best "SNL" Skit in Years

New "SNL" cast member Shane Gillis has a history of making racist, misogynistic, and bigoted commentary as part of his "comedy." Andrew Yang gave a thoughtful reason why we should forgive him.

Andrew Yang Supporters - San Diego, CA

Photo by Janson George

Update: SNL recently announced that Shane Gillis has been fired a mere four days after being hired.

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