Becoming The 10th Doctor

Becoming+The+10th+Doctor

While he was deciding what to wear for Halloween last year, Community High School Junior, Roman Kulp, never thought that the character he chose to be for one night would become the character he would be for the next year.

For Kulp, the 10th Doctor from Dr. Who is his second identity.

Putting on a brown, four button suit with blue pin-stripes and making his hair look like the 10th Doctor’s every morning are not easy tasks for Kulp. His dedication to becoming this character everyday comes from his love for the television show, Dr. Who, and from his belief that the suit is comfortable and looks exceptional.

Kulp’s everyday attire began as just a Halloween costume idea from his sister, who was obsessed with Dr. Who at the time. For his costume, he bought 10 suits that he liked so that he could decide which doctor to dress up as. “I finally settled on the 10th doctor,” Kulp said. “It just sort of transformed from a costume to an everyday outfit.” Now that he dresses like this character constantly, Dr. Who is captivating to Kulp and has seen every episode ever made.

Out of the 10 suits that he owns, Kulp only wears one of them on a daily basis and usually wears one of his tuxedos for more formal events. However, Kulp is not always the 10th Doctor at home. If he’s having a lazy day, just doing homework on a weekend or if his suit is being dry-cleaned, he does not wear the suit.  Kulp tries to wear his suit as much as possible, but there are some obstacles that he has to maneuver around in order to keep dressing as this character. In Kulp’s opinion, his parents are not the most supportive of his wardrobe.

Over time, Kulp has forced his mom into tolerating the suit, but his dad still attempts to get him to wear different clothes when he can. “I won’t wear it out and about with him,” Kulp said. “But I will wear it to school anyway.” Even if his parents are not appreciative of Kulp’s devotion for becoming the 10th doctor, it doesn’t change his perspective on what he wears at all.

As for Kulp’s friends, the opinions of his character vary, according to Kulp. “Some friends think it’s funny, others think it’s kind of cool, and others think I’m kind of weird for wearing the suit,” Kulp said. This feedback has not bothered Kulp in the slightest. He does believe that Community praises students for dressing creatively, but he has also worn his suit through the halls of Pioneer High School many times. Despite what anyone says about his suit, he continues to wear it with confidence.

Generally, Kulp doesn’t mind dressing as the doctor at school and just dressing normally at home. Dr. Who is a part of who he is and he never regrets choosing to dress as the 10th Doctor. “When it comes to normal clothes at school, I’m glad I chose this suit instead of just normal clothes,” Kulp said. He plans to wear the suit until he is tired of it and he is not going to let anyone influence his clothing choices.