DIVA caught up with one of the show’s latest arrivals to find out about their time in the Masseria
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY BBC
No one said the road to love in Dannii Minogue’s Masseria was going to be easy. Especially not if new arrivals keep catching the eye of your crush. When self-proclaimed “slaggy golden retriever” Pippa entered the Masseria, all eyes were quickly drawn to their charisma, style and (in Imogen’s case) that slicked back blonde bun.
From ruffling feathers to facing the Kiss Off, Pippa may have been late to the party, but they’ve definitely brought the fun. We caught up with this IKAG new arrival to find out more about their time on the show.
Why did you want to go on the show?
I was so scared to do it, and for me, that’s normally a sign from the universe that I should do it. I also wanted to be that non-binary representation. Growing up, I didn’t even know that non-binary people existed. I existed in a bubble. All of us have done [the show] to be that representation that we really needed growing up.
Why is representation so important?
Representation is going to help everyone. Seeing so many people who are out and so proud shows you that you can be queer and happy; it doesn’t need to be this negative thing. Education is exactly what leads to acceptance. Hopefully, with all the straight people watching the show, [queerness] becomes more normalised. There are so many people who don’t know a queer or trans person, so it’s this foreign thing to them. But to see our experiences and normalise them – that’s how society makes a change.
What did you learn about yourself on the show?
My biggest thing when I came out of the Masseria was that I wanted to be more queer! I wanted to get tattoos, piercings – all the things I was scared to do before. Growing up with so many straight people, I was trying to fit myself into a straight box, and being what a “man” would be. Then, being around so many people who were fluid with their sexualities and their gender, it gave me that push to be as queer as possible!
What’s it been like to see the response online to the first episodes?
It’s quite overwhelming! Just seeing yourself is crazy. I actually didn’t remember so much of what happened [on the show] because you’re on this adrenaline rush the whole time. It’s also exciting for us because we didn’t see all the private conversations that happened.
You can watch the first six episodes of IKAG on BBC iPlayer now.
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