Tuesday, May 29, 2012

An Insulin Pump Friendly Swimsuit & Unsolicited Judgment

Shopping for swimsuits is an ordeal in itself. Dealing with harsh dressing room lights and funhouse mirrors makes  buying, let alone actually wearing a swimsuit out in public hard enough.  Factor in an insulin pump into the picture and it makes swimsuit shopping/ wearing a flattering swimsuit more challenging on every level. 
My advice: If you find a a swimsuit ( or anything else for that matter)  that works for you and your insulin pump and makes you feel great - Don't worry about what others think . 
BUY IT  - AND BUY IT IN SEVERAL COLORS. "AND WORK IT, GURL !" 
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My offensive/insulin pump friendly A.B.S.Swimsuit, except mine is black - Love the lilac, though!
Swimsuit above appears different on me. And by "different I mean I'm no size 0, nor am I twig like. I still love this suit -And so does my insulin pump!

So it was my first weekend on the beach and I was happy to be there. It was a hot and and steamy Memorial Day weekend and the beach was a welcome relief. There was a breeze by the ocean’s edge and the water was ice cold. 
I spent a lot of time talking with friends, watching their kids disregard the cold water temps and boogie board like pros! 
With my feet in the cold water and my insulin pump securely  clipped to the V part of my my one piece, (see above pic)  all was right in my world. 
As I took my turn watching my friends kids coast in the waves and being silly, a woman (who I'd never met in my life,) looked me up and down and said: So I guess you bought that swimsuit so you’d have an interesting place to put your cell phone while you hung out near the lifeguard stand.

REALLY??

Now, lets get a few things straight.
  1.   Everyone one standing by the water, but not actually swimming in it, hangs out near the life guard stand , especially if their children ( or their friends children are swimming) because people can only swim in front of the actual life guard stand and even though there are life guards - You feel compelled to watch the kids - It "takes a village after all."
  2. The lifegards are young enough to be my nephews - So I’m not trying to pick them up, thankyouverymuch!
  3.  Re the V-neckline cut of my suit: Not that I need to explain my fashion choices to anyone, especially this bitch, but I wear one piece swimsuits with a V neck design because I can clip my pump easily and securely to the V part of the suit - and as you can see from the picture above, the suit's design was perfect for wearing an insulin pump. And if truth be told, the V-neck swimsuit look works for me. If you don’t like it, that's OK, but  I don't need your opinion - Especially If I don't know you.
  4. And I didn’t know this lady from Adam and quite frankly, I didn’t like her snarky/ judgmental tone. 
And in my head I was like: LISTEN BITCH, I invented the snarky tone, lady - Don’t mess with me, my insulin pump, or swimsuit fashion choice - You won’t win!
Instead I said: Actually, it’s an insulin pump, not a phone. And I bought the suit because I look great in it - OBVIOUSLY. And the fact that I can clip my pump in the front SECURELY is an added bonus.  Thanks for noticing, though! 

Lady: Oh... I just thought that you know, it was your phone. 
(SIDEBAR: In my head I'm thinking, SO WHAT IF IT WAS a phone - why do you feel the need to judges someone for their cellphone/insulin pump placement? )
It’s so crazy to bring a phone to the beach and it seems like everyone does. I’m really sorry. WOW, Diabetes  - You look really good for having diabetes. 

Me: Actually, I look MAGNIFICENT - And this is what diabetes looks like.  

And then I turned and looked towards my friends kids who were splashing and jumping and being silly, and shouting at me to continually watch them splash, jump and be silly. I waved back, told them they were doing a great job and focused on them, essentially ending the conversation right then and there. 
Because I don't owe anyone an explanation on my insulin pump or my fashion choice and I had much better things to do. 

16 comments:

Abby said...

HAHAHAHAHA I love everything about this post. I can even imagine your voice saying all these things. :)

Unknown said...

Ooooh, if you can work a suit like that, then WORK IT GURL.

Unknown said...

As always, well done. You handled that much better than I would have. I would be very afraid of what would have come out of my mouth. And I'm sure you looked GREAT!:)

Unknown said...

Bustin' diabetes myths all over the place! And rockin' a fab swimsuit while you do it, too.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I would be livid. Because having diabetes means you probably look terrible. *facepalm*

Scully said...

This is a story to pass on. fabulous story.... and wicked way to handle it!

Penny said...

You said it sister! Rockin suit! We will be down OC June 30th til July 7th - let's make a date of it - on the beach! Rock that pump with Grace - who is continually told that she shouldn't WEAR HER IPOD INTO THE WATER!!!! hee hee hee

jack said...

People like that are the reason my 12 year old son hides his pump. I hope as he gets older he gets more courageous like you!!

Rachel said...

The suit is fabulous! And I hope I can wear my bikini and OmniPod with that level of confidence this summer!

Lili said...

She said WHAT?!

Unknown said...

HOT SUIT GURLLLLLLLLL! And...too funny on the phone/pump confusion/judgement. You handled it like the pro that you are.

Unknown said...

Sizzle. Love the suit!!!

Take THAT, strange-woman-who-obviously-needs-a-lesson-in-MANNERS!!!!

Mike Hoskins said...

"I invented the snarky tone"... and "I look magnificant"... and "this is what diabetes looks like"...!

Great post, Kelly! Way to go!

Wendy said...

"Actually, I look MAGNIFICENT - And this is what diabetes looks like."

AMEN! Good on ya!

JanetK said...

I really wish you included a photo of you rocking this suit! I love your post - I usually think of clever retorts AFTER it's too late. and I need to start checking out v-lines for myself this year.

shannon said...

OH SNAP!!

my fave part was "i look magnificent, this is what diabetes looks like"

ROCK ON!