I was recently invited to attend a lunch with Carson Kressley for Depend Silhouette. I RSVP’d immediately because of Carson’s exuberant ‘tude and sense of style; I’ve been a fan since his Queer Eye for the Straight Guy days. What I was a little iffy about was the subject — bladder leakage. Having grown up surrounded by ladies, I knew that bladder leakage was a thing, but I didn’t know that it affected one in three women. I guess peeing a little isn’t something my lady friends like to talk about, unlike me.

I know first-hand what it’s like to dress as a woman; the clothes are restricting and the shoes make my toes look and feel like old monkey feet. I often feel judged and uncomfortable, and yet, I can’t begin to imagine what women have to go through on the daily. Between the invisible forms of sexism still rampant in our society and the uncomfortable ogling and bullshit beauty standards, bladder leakage shouldn’t even be an issue, let alone a source of shame.

As somebody who has worked in fashion for most of his life, Carson understands the importance that clothing plays in our lives, and building confidence. He also understands that bulky undergarments and unnecessary layers are doing nothing positive for the women who suffer from LBL. That’s why he’s teamed up with Depend. If there’s anybody who can take the taboo out of bladder incontinence, it’s this guy.

Here are some of my favourite excerpts from our chat:

If there’s a woman in your life who is dealing with LBL, and you think you can help, what’s the best way to approach the subject without making her feel weird?

I’m a product person, and when I discover something I love to share it with friends. I’m the ultimate word of mouth promoter, and I have conversations with my friends all the time. I just keep easy, fun and light because I think life is too short to not live it to the fullest because of bladder leakage or because you’ve lost your hair. All these things that we can totally fix now shouldn’t be taboo. And to think that some women are not having fun with clothing because of they’re embarrassed of this condition that one in three women have to deal with is so silly. It’s so not a big deal anymore and they (Depend Silhouette Active Fit Brief) look so good. They come in two fashion colours and they have a nice waistband – you can wear them under exercise pants and you can’t even tell; there’s no panty line! If you can wear something with a yoga pant, you can wear it with ANYTHING.

Every time we see you, you’re always so wonderfully put together and confident? What’s your secret?

You have to have the right ingredients. If you’re wearing something that doesn’t fit – that’s a confidence buster. Bad hair – confident buster. When all the little things come together, you feel like you’re going to rule the world. Pay attention to those details because one plus one equals like, seventy-five. When it’s all working synergistically, you feel great. And I think when you’re confident you can really rock anything. It’s more of an internal thing; when you love it, you can rock it.

You’re no stranger to the 6ix, what are some of your favourite restos in the city?

I love the Toronto food scene, it’s so yummy. I have a friend who is a great stylist and we work together a lot and she takes me to great places. We went to Woodlot and the Soho House, which was delicious, and tonight we’re going to Patria. There’s another restaurant where I heard there are waiters with no shirts on. It doesn’t sound sanitary but I’m there!

You’ve had such an inspiring career, what’s the most surprising thing that you’ve learned about yourself since working in television?

Being entrepreneurial. If somebody took me back to being twenty years old and asked me what I would do for your career, I would say I have no idea. Which was a blessing because it left me open to all these possibilities. And I’ve always said, “Why not?” When I got out of school and somebody said you should work for Ralph Lauren, I said, “Yeah, why not?” Great education. That led to a bunch of different jobs, moving from design to creative direction. And then this TV pilot happened for Queer Eye and I was like, “Yeah, why not?” Being resilient and entrepreneurial, and being able to morph from author to TV personality to spokesperson to designer. I’m versatile, who knew?

Do you ever say no to an opportunity?

I almost never say no because I think there’s always something that may be exciting. And then I do say no when I’m just not interested, like “Do you want to make snuggies for puppies?” If it doesn’t make your heart sing and get your heart pumping a little bit, it’s not for you. I look for the creativity in everything. There are a lot of ways you can be creative in your work.

What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in your career?

I’m a very independent person so I think I have to do everything myself, and I always think my way is the best way. Sometimes being collaborative has been the hardest. Whether it’s been designing a fashion line where you have to work with your manufacturing partner or the person who sources your buttons or in television — everything is a collaboration.

There’s a rumour out there that when you auditioned for Queer Eye, you slammed your bag on the counter and exclaimed, “I don’t know what you bitches are doing here!” Is it true?

Basically, yes. I don’t know if I said “bitches,” but this is how it went: There were like, 500 people. I don’t know where they all found out about it. I was working for Ralph Lauren so I had my hair blown out and I was bronzed. I left a Dillard’s shoot and was like, “DO ME UP!” I took my Steven Sprouse Louis Vuitton bag and I had my interview and I came out all the other guys were like, “How did it go?” And I said, “They said you guys can go home,” and I swung by bag over my shoulder and walked out. But yeah, I was inappropriately confident.

CONTEST

We’re giving away a $50 Shoppers Drug Mart to one lucky lady so she can take time out from the holiday hustle and bustle to stock up on a few feel-good items for herself! To enter on Twitter, RT:

“Hey @Shedoesthecity, I can sure use a little pick-me-up, please send me a Shoppers Drug Mart gift card!”

Contest closes on Dec 16th. Good luck!