Model with type 1 diabetes walks runway with insulin pump

The diabetes community raised a cheer for model Lila Moss when she confidently strode down a high-fashion runway with her insulin pump on full display.

At the end of September, Moss, the 19-year-old daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, walked as part of the Fendi x Versace collaborative collection, showcasing looks for spring/summer 2022. Many audience members likely didn’t recognize the insulin pump, called an Omnipod, but those of us with diabetes in the family clocked it immediately.

The pod is a tubeless pump — it carries three days’ worth of insulin in its chamber and delivers a continuous flow of the hormone via a small cannula under the skin. You can see the pump and Moss’s full runway look in this photo posted to Twitter by @TOMMYC_:

Insulin requires certain kinds of body tissue to infuse properly, which is why Moss placed the pod on her outer thigh.

“Oh, wow! Nice!” I yelped when I saw the photo. My 9-year-old son has type 1 and uses an Omnipod, too, so I made sure to show him the pic.

“Cool!” he said, but without further comment. He’s never been shy about showing off his pod, so it’s totally normal to him. (The thigh is another fave spot of ours, as well.)

Elsewhere, diabetes advocates applauded Moss for her unabashed performance. Twitter’s diabetes community jumped in right away, with pediatric endocrinologist Trang Ly calling Moss’s move “iconic.”

User @25lambs noted that the whole “Fendace” (that’s “Fendi” + “Versace”) team made the right call.

And @benpmoody joked that he loved seeing a fellow pod-wearer, but he probably couldn’t match the full look.

Finally, @jwuless praised Moss with some spicy language, adding in the hashtag #type1warrior for the model:

That last tweet shows why this is such a big deal for people with diabetes. Some folks have strange ideas about diabetes, even though more than 34 million Americans have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

There’s a tendency to look at diabetes as a punchline, or a punishment for poor lifestyle choices. But type 1 is an unpreventable autoimmune issue, and type 2 — the one that causes insulin resistance — can simply be inherited.

Moss’s proud catwalk moment is a reminder that there’s no need to cover up diabetes. Keep it up, Lila!