There is something about the white coat that somehow overrides who is in the white coat. Even though I smiled, was open and kind, the kid would scream when he saw the white one on me. The parents told me he was afraid of the white coat.
The customary medical white coat has a strong tradition, the cleanliness is a sign of practicality and somehow a sign of transcendence. A sign that it’s a different world in that hospital, that it is a state within a state. A strong hierarchy, but in uniform.
The uniform can be damaged and treated harshly because it can be washed or cooked anyway. You can take it to the hospital laundry, and wash it 90 degrees without any care. Practical, strong, and durable. You can wear it in itself, like women, or like men: with white medical pants and a shirt. Add a wooden sole medical slipper and you have a complete wardrobe.
The cooler men wear it with the casual simplicity with a street shirt and trousers combo, just buttoned up. It’s a really relaxed, more people-friendly look, at once doctorly, elegant and, you could say, people-friendly. Not that the doctor is not human, but the doctor in white is somehow in a very different category. Somewhere inaccessible.
Street clothes as the „”base layer”” tame this distance. Is it possible to tame the distance further without losing authenticity, seriousness, or image, but without being idiotic, comical, or tacky?
This is what NIDA is about.
It’s about how to make medical workwear practical, pretty, fun, and comfortable for the wearer.
