Not all heros wear capes, some wear kilts

At the end of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as The Doctor, he stared in an episode set inside a fantasy dreamt up by a white man. Trans people did not exist, and disabled people were relegated to living down dark, disused alleys. At one point in the episode, The Doctor slowly walked down a flight of stairs, breaking free from the fantasy prison that had been crafted to keep humanity subdued. As they reached the bottom, they dropped their coat and clicked their fingers. In an instant, they transformed, removing the ideas of the white male patriarchy and replacing them with individuality and self-expression. The Time Lord, an alien from a distant planet called Gallifrey, stood there wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt, a pinstripe waistcoat, denim jeans, a pinstripe kilt and shone.

I loved it. Loved it! To see a male-bodied person standing on prime time television, looking like me, in a skirt/kilt just before they saved the world was fantastic. While the kilt flowed like a skirt, it was a kilt due to Ncuti’s Scottish heritage. It also allowed them to push gender without toppling it over on top of the patriarchy, causing them to cry. It was a joy to see the kilt flowing as The Doctor ran around. The kilt conveyed the energy of The Doctor in a way that trousers simply can’t. You get it from David Tennant’s, Jodie Whittaker’s or Peter Capaldi’s long jacket, but not from Christopher Eccleston’s short leather coat. It echoed The Doctor’s personality, and one of the things I love about skirts. They’re fun.

Not everyone agreed, though. Shocking, I know. I found a thread on Reddit where someone posted about how they loved seeing The Doctor in a skirt, and people took issue. Almost every reply is someone saying, “It’s a kilt.” I understand that it is a cultural item of clothing, but it seems that people have an issue with the idea of it being considered a skirt. Call it a kilt, an item of clothing worn by a man showing admiration for his heritage and all is good. Call it a skirt, and men get scared about what The Doctor might be trying to say.

What is a skirt-wearing alien in a man’s body trying to say? Skirts are OK? Men can wear them without fear and look good? Your idea of what masculinity looks like is completely wrong, and this man in a skirt is going to burn it all down? I can’t say, but the image feels like a Rorschach test. Everyone sees something different in the skirt/kilt... skilt? I see someone like me, shining bravely and letting others know it’s OK to be themselves. Others see the end of their reality, and it scares them.

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate.. to suffering"

The reaction online to someone suggesting that The Doctor, a made-up fictional alien being from another planet with an entirely alien culture, could look good in a skirt is absurd but real. Made even more real for me when I’m out in a skirt. I see these online comments in people’s expressions as I walk around in a skirt. Only recently has it occurred to me that I am communicating something to them, and I have no real control over what it is.

But if there is anything to learn from this, it is to cast off what others think you should look like and shine. Only then can you live your life rather than echo others. To quote The Doctor in the episode “Lux”;

“I've toppled worlds, sometimes I wait for people to topple theirs. Until then, I live in it, and I shine.”

Links

• 'Doctor Who': Ncuti Gatwa's Look Inspired by Men in Skirts, '70s NYC. 'Doctor Who' costume designer Pam Downe breaks down Ncuti Gatwa's look as the 15th Doctor, from kilts to Regency-era garb.
• This Invisible illness (about ME/CFS, like Long Covid). Welcome to 'This Invisible Illness', my first long-form project about living with ME/CFS, aka ME, a complex and challenging chronic health condition, developed from a viral infection (in my case) - like Long Covid.
• You Can Now Buy Nan Goldin Prints That Raise Funds for Trans Organizations. Proceeds will be donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and the Trans Income Project.
• Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. Marking the 20th anniversary of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech with a digitally enhanced version of the video as well as a behind-the-scenes look at how it came to be: from firsthand accounts from people who were connected to the commencement to Steve’s personal drafts.
• Land of the Morees is Jude Lartey’s reflection on “the timeless connection between humans and the sea”. Documenting a small town on the southern coast of Ghana, the photographer has captured breathtaking images of the vibrant coastal community.
• New ‘F1’ Trailer makes Movies More Accessible. Apple’s Greg Joswiak took to X earlier today to post about the new trailer Apple released for its upcoming Apple TV+ film F1 . The executive, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, describes what Apple calls a “haptic trailer” as “the coolest trailer ever”...
• Pave Your Way With Chronic Illness - my new book! - Life of Pippa. Pave Your Way With Chronic Illness is a journal designed to help you reconnect with your identity while managing a life-altering condition.