Photo: Twitter / Pigeons and Planes, photo by John Shearer
As much as we like to dream of a future in which we’ll be spared of having to do certain, seemingly endless chores and tasks, there’s something deeply unsettling about robots. The creepiness factor goes up many-fold in the case of humanoid robots.
Over on TikTok, that feeling of creepiness and confusion is best exemplified by the DreamCore aesthetic, with creators sharing dream-like sequences and edits that rely heavily on nostalgia, eeriness and unspeakable horror. Frank Ocean tapped into all this for his appearance at the 2021 edition of the MET Gala.
The MET Gala is a yearly costume ball, not a fashion show and not a celebrity red carpet. Each year, attendees are handed an assignment, which is represented by the theme of the ball that precedes the latest exhibit at the Costume Institute. This year, as of September 18, that exhibit is called In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, so the theme of this year’s edition of the Gala was just that.
Frank Ocean, a widely popular singer, producer and songwriter, showed up on the red carpet in head-to-toe Prada and a green robot baby on his arm. He told the media that the animatronic baby, which most media outlets have agreed it was a robot (though no one knows for certain what model it was or who made it), was named Cody and that it was his son.
So Ocean spoke and cooed with Cody, regularly checked in on him and they exchanged smiles. Cody could also move his arms and wave to the media and fellow attendees, blink and move his eyes, move his head and smile. He also wore diamond grillz and a hoodie from Ocean’s clothing line Homer, while he (Ocean) coordinated with a diamond necklace, also by Homer.
Asked about the inspiration for his costume, Ocean said that it came from movie magic and Hollywood. Long before robots became a commodity in our homes, the movie industry relied on animatronics for practical effects, so it makes sense. Ocean also wore a cap with the DreamWorks logo and the “DreamCore” tag underneath, which is proof that he knew the sight of Cody on the red carpet and of him talking to it as if it were a real baby, would give people strong creepy vibes.
Here are Ocean and Cody being a whole mood.
The MET Gala is a yearly costume ball, not a fashion show and not a celebrity red carpet. Each year, attendees are handed an assignment, which is represented by the theme of the ball that precedes the latest exhibit at the Costume Institute. This year, as of September 18, that exhibit is called In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, so the theme of this year’s edition of the Gala was just that.
Frank Ocean, a widely popular singer, producer and songwriter, showed up on the red carpet in head-to-toe Prada and a green robot baby on his arm. He told the media that the animatronic baby, which most media outlets have agreed it was a robot (though no one knows for certain what model it was or who made it), was named Cody and that it was his son.
So Ocean spoke and cooed with Cody, regularly checked in on him and they exchanged smiles. Cody could also move his arms and wave to the media and fellow attendees, blink and move his eyes, move his head and smile. He also wore diamond grillz and a hoodie from Ocean’s clothing line Homer, while he (Ocean) coordinated with a diamond necklace, also by Homer.
Asked about the inspiration for his costume, Ocean said that it came from movie magic and Hollywood. Long before robots became a commodity in our homes, the movie industry relied on animatronics for practical effects, so it makes sense. Ocean also wore a cap with the DreamWorks logo and the “DreamCore” tag underneath, which is proof that he knew the sight of Cody on the red carpet and of him talking to it as if it were a real baby, would give people strong creepy vibes.
Here are Ocean and Cody being a whole mood.
Frank Ocean.
— Saint Hoax (@SaintHoax) September 14, 2021
That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/YnnqybOg3Y
of course Frank Ocean would do his first on-camera interview in years while holding an alien baby and talking in abstract about the influences of the world ???? pic.twitter.com/g1K9gton34
— Eric Skelton (@ericskelton) September 14, 2021
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