Strange New Worlds

One of the cosplays I've done most over the years has been my Star Trek red dress from the original series which ran from 1966-1969. I was never a huge fan of Star Trek growing up but in recent years and especially since its recent revival (and availability on Netflix) I have taken the opportunity to start watching the various series. In fact while the dress is more commonly associated with Lt. Uhura it was seeing Yeoman Rand wearing it that made me think about it as a possible cosplay for an upcoming convention. 

Whoever wore it though, it's now an iconic piece of costume design today and one very closely associated with the past. Despite the introduction of the skant in Star Trek: The Next Generation that even men would be seen walking about it, mainly extras would be seen wearing them and it seems to have been phased out especially when the new breed of Star Trek shows began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. In fact amongst the jumpsuits only Lt Nhan seemed to be wearing something like them but that involved a red top and skirt and a skant version of the Discovery jumpsuit. Anyway, this brings me on to the very latest show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This prequel takes place before the original series and is set on the Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike and I was heartened to read that Rebecca Romijn, who plays second in command Lt Commander Una Chin-Riley, fought to wear the mini dress and bring that touch of femininity back to the show. 

The full interview can be read here: https://www.slashfilm.com/850009/rebecca-romijn-insisted-on-wearing-a-starfleet-dress-on-star-trek-strange-new-worlds/

Here is a further look at the fashions of Strange New Worlds: https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-costume-designer-interview

Rebecca Romijn as Lt Commander Una Chin-Riley in a
promotional poster for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 

Unisex does seem to be the order of the day with a more masculine look seeming favourable. What's so wrong with looking feminine? It's a lot more fun. Unisex to me always conjures the idea of grey clothes and everyone looking the same. I'm all for breaking down gender boundaries but again it does seem to be skewed towards the masculine like that's all what people are striving for. Is it really that much better or bringing the equality that we need? Skirts for men have been tried over the years and make-up too but it's never really taken off however I think these days more than other men have been making bolder choices with more colourful suits and shirts. 

It was interesting to note how things seem to have come full circle albeit for different reasons. The short dresses of the original series have become much derided over the years and are often held up as an example of the sexism that existed in the series and in particular that of creator Gene Roddenberry. However in the original pilot The Cage they are nowhere to be seen with the uniform consisting of a top and trousers. It was the aforementioned Yeoman Rand herself, actress Grace Lee Whitney who asked the production staff to implement the dresses. In fact dresses like that were everywhere in the late 1960s and were seen as a part of female sexual freedom rather than something enforced. Ironically enough these days it's the fact that they are so short that makes them stand out as a relic of the 1960s. Although I have worn one it wasn't until I watched some of those original episodes that I realised exactly how short they were on the show. Even Nichelle Nichols, Lt Uhura herself, has defended them when asked about what it was like being asked to wear one. 

Nichelle Nicols as Lt Uhura in
Star Trek: The Original Series

There's a nice short piece here about it: https://blog.ha.com/minis-are-maximum-fashion-in-star-trek-the-original-series/

With the classic dresses being derided it's no surprise that they weren't considered for a comeback when the series returned to TV although they did return in the three 'Kelvinverse' films: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016) showing that they could be done with a more modern eye. 

Zoe Saldana as Lt Uhura in
Star Trek (2009)

So anyway I'm glad that like Grace Lee Whitney and Nichelle Nichols, Rebecca Romijn has stuck up for a more feminine look on the bridge of the Enterprise and I notice that even her hair and make-up is inspired by the looks of the original series (plus she has some marvellous gold nails). It's been fascinating looking into this and as someone who has an eye towards more feminine clothing I'm surprised that women are still fighting to wear it and to look feminine although I suppose that may be expected on a show dealing with the military and less on the usual type of dramas (certainly to have the wardrobe of a heroine on a DC series would be quite something).

I have thought about doing this cosplay myself and may just do that among with some of the others I have planned although another one from SNW that has caught my eye is the white jumpsuit of Nurse Chapel so who knows. 

Check-Up #20

So what have I been doing recently? 

Not much really. I haven't bought anything new clothes wise apart from a necklace with a large silver heart on it but I have had some opportunities to dress recently as I've had some time working from home. I've also found that shaving most of my body hair has helped with my mood as I've often looked down at my various hairy limbs and despaired somewhat. I always pledge to shave more often but I rarely do plus you do get those horrible stubby hairs that you can never entirely get rid of. Maybe I ought to try waxing or go somewhere professional to try and get it done properly. 

Speaking of work (and I know I may be sounding like a broken record here) but we have a staff event coming up that is partially going to be on a boat. So do I dress? I've thought about it and the various dresses I could wear for it but I fear the confidence may leave me unless my old friend alcohol becomes involved as it has whenever I took a big step in my dressing. I haven't decided whether I will do yet but I still have a few more weeks to think about it. If I don't I know I will be miserable for most of the night but if I do it may be one of my more nerve-wracking nights and I've had quite a few but it's different this time as I won't have any of my friends around me. I expect it's one of those times when I just have to get over the initial awkwardness and questions and it will be fine. Funnily enough also in July I have a friend's wedding coming up in which I have no qualms about dressing for but I'm torn between wearing a suit, at least for the ceremony, or buying a new dress. Well, I probably have something I could wear anyway if I didn't get something new. That should be fun anyway. 

I finished watching Sex Education and I would recommend it and it has some wonderful LGBTQ+ representation. I certainly wish I had something like this when I was younger. Everything I learned about sex I had to pick up myself as neither school nor my parents taught me anything. I doubt it would have made much difference as I still would have been a shy child but you never know. 

I've started to do more captions for the Haven again too and I'm still enjoying producing work over on Twitter so it's a surprisingly creative time for me. 

Ms Marvel

Once again where Marvel goes, I follow. As Ms Marvel has presently landed on Disney + and is doing well I thought I would put up a couple of themed captions. Unfortunately I don't have the names of either cosplayer.  

This one was created for Jeannie over at Rachel's Haven and uses one of my favourite concepts - Secret Cosplay. The premise being that a person receives an envelope with a cosplay choice on they must dress as for a local convention and if they dare ignore it then the choice will be fulfilled whether they like it or not. I seem to remember creating as a way to get some quick capbacks done with a common concept I could use without doing the same thing over and over again. I have varied it and there are quite a few captions and characters I've used it with now. This one is more the classic Carol Danvers version of the character though rather than the Kamala Khan version from the TV show. 

Secret Cosplay: Ms Marvel (2018)

This second caption was created for Jay Seaver over at Rachel's Haven and was inspired by the then recent Captain Marvel movie and riffs on a more conventional bodyswap scenario.

Marvel-ous Cosplay (2019)

Terri in the Multiverse of Madness

Well Multiverses seem to be all the rage these days and the other day by chance I found a couple of captions related to them. 

The below was created for Chelsea Baker on Rachel's Haven and uses a screencap from the makeover (actually more a make-under show as they championed natural beauty and teaching people how to live without tons of make-up) TV show Snog, Marry, Avoid which I used to watch quite a lot. The title was taken from a 2009 episode of Family Guy which itself was a nod to the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Road To... movies 

Road to the Multiverse (2013)

This second one may be a bit tricky to understand without context since I basically took someone's preferences and flipped them. This was done for Felicia Hextus over at Rachel's Haven who loves to be age reduced, shrunk, teased and humiliated so obviously I turned her into a strong, powerful maneater. Luckily she enjoyed it and also really liked having her preferences turned against her and saw it as a form of teasing in itself. It's always nice when you hit on a kink that may not have been there before. This cap also brings back one of my favourite characters, Ember Montoya, and if I ever mention parallel universes the universe of shrimp often comes up which is a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, I'm not sure if there is a reference in the title unless I thought it just sounded good but knowing me there probably was but I can't remember it now. 

Felicia of Two Worlds (2015)

Sex Education

 Things have been a bit busy recently but there are a couple of things I wanted to talk about. Firstly I mentioned joining Twitter last month and I've really been enjoying it. My captions have been doing quite well (I think, anyway) and it's also taught me the value of brevity as I only have 140 characters to play with. Doing a new caption for the Haven recently I could feel myself editing it a bit more so hopefully it has sharpened up my skills a bit. 

Now, like a lot of other Doctor Who fans have been doing recently, I have started watching Sex Education on Netflix as one of the main roles is played by the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. The show had been on my list for a while but other things had taken precedence so this was as good an excuse as any to begin. For the uninitiated, the show is a comedy drama which revolves around teenager Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) and his sex therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). Otis attends sixth form at Moordale Secondary School (which weirdly seems to resemble an American high school) and with another pupil, Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) starts an under-the-wire sex clinic of his own advising his fellow students for money. Gatwa plays his gay best friend Eric Effiong. From here on in the spoilers for season one start so please look away now if you are still wanting to watch this and go in cold (please come back if you do though. I'll still be here, hopefully). 

Promo poster for Season One of Sex Education
(L to R: Ncuti Gatwa as Eric, Emma Mackey as Maeve and Asa Butterfield as Otis)
Credit: IMDB

The episode I want to discuss is the fifth episode of season one (no title given) which (surprise, surprise) involves crossdressing. It's Eric's 17th birthday and he and Otis have tickets to a screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Both dress in drag for the event and both have very different evenings. While Otis gets side-lined by Maeve and the main plot which involves finding out who has been sending photographs of school mean girl Ruby's vagina to everyone, Eric continues on alone. If he were already being written by Russell T Davies he would doubtless be a super confident charmer and would mostly probably seduce someone at the bus stop but not so much here. We are not in some bustling metropolis but a small town and you feel for Eric as he stands alone at a wooden shack of a bus stop out in the woods. On his own and out of his element he retreats into himself and I know just how he feels. Two lads approach and he turns away and tries to hide himself in a place where he has nowhere to run which is another feeling I know all too well. I often wear a big coat if I can which is all the better for covering yourself up from other people. At least the station platform I often frequent is longer than Eric's bus stop. Noticing his birthday badge though one of the youths smiles and says that not only is it his birthday too but offers Eric a drink and compliments his outfit. 

Sadly that's the best that Eric's evening gets. Not only does Otis never show but his coat is stolen and he gets attacked on his way home. Calling Jean for a lift he returns home with her only to have a bust up with Otis over his desertion. Over the next couple of episodes he's a broken man, choosing less flamboyant clothing and trying not to be seen eventually getting into fights and being suspended from school. I have to say I have been feeling this a little at the moment too due to what happened to me at work a couple of weeks ago. While I've never been the type to scorch the Earth, I haven't painted my nails again since. This being television it does have a happy ending though as Eric rediscovers himself through a service at his local church and a stranger with fierce nails on his way to a wedding. A school dance proves his big opportunity for a comeback and of course he makes up with Otis. 

For Otis himself I'm pleased to see that, being straight, he has no qualms about dressing in drag and attending the show with his friend. No feeling of being made to do it or embarrassment (well no more than that of an average awkward teen). I have to wonder where they both got the outfits though and despite saying it's a yearly thing they do it seems like the first time unless of course it's normally something they do at home. I'm just nitpicking though. Even Otis gets compliments on his outfit which, again is nice to see. We don't have universal acceptance or universal hatred but something inbetween which is what real life is like. Otis may be a little sheepish about his new look but he shrugs it off as no big deal and no-one particularly makes fun of him either. Of course he also stays within the confines of their cosy town and not into the wider world like Eric. 

One final person I would like to mention in all this is Eric's dad, Abeo Effiong (DeObia Oparei), who goes on a journey of his own towards acceptance of his son. A couple of episodes earlier he catches Eric in drag and demands he remove it so you get the impression this he is your typical religious, unaccepting father. In episode five he tries to stop Eric going out in drag by almost pleading with him to rethink his outfit. I recognise this too from the time I told my own parents by turning up at their house wearing a denim miniskirt. It's that same look of trying to work it out, trying to make sense of it and also the realisation that your child has just painted a target on their back, the 'oh he's going to get the shit kicked out of him' look. I can sympathise so much with that. Later when Eric returns home he can tell that something has happened but Eric is in no mood for talking. The next morning he spares his blushes with the rest of the family by making up a cover story and when Eric rediscovers himself and gets dressed up for the dance his father offers to drive him. Outside the school they have a heart to heart and Abeo admits he admires his brave son and that maybe he should be braver himself. Revealing his background as an immigrant made me realise that he must have been hiding for a lot of his life, scared to put his head above the parapet, and that there must be people in this country who have been settled for over 50 years but still have that same sense of keeping their heads down lest somebody try to throw them out. 

I must admit I didn't expect any crossdressing in this show and I doubt it will happen again but I'm glad at the way it was handled.