I have no science or facts to back this up, but I’m pretty sure it’s true. There can be no line of work more conducive to packing on the pounds than PR. Like most office jobs, there’s the danger of being sedentary for most of the day, getting no real exercise, celebrating office birthdays with cake, and eating from the vending machine down the hall every time you feel peckish. There’s also the coffee. Lots of coffee. Gallons. And the lunch offerings in midtown aren’t exactly a cornucopia of health. Oh, Taco Bell, why are you so cheap and delicious?
But unlike most office jobs, PR also requires a certain amount of real life schmoozing. It’s not glamorous, but there are usually nibbles. You know, baguettes, cheese, mayonnaise-based sauces. And drinks. I always forget, does gin have more calories than vodka? Doesn’t matter, we’ll be drinking it all before the conference ends. Plus, the holidays? Fuggetaboutit.
Combine that with the fact that PR is a very female-dominated industry, and you have a powder keg of self-consciousness ready to pop like the button from your slacks. My Wii Fit is already suggesting I check the stability of my floorboards. Soon I’ll be waddling into the office Christmas party, swathed in panels of festive red velvet because none of my dresses will fit, and eyeing the canape trays like a drowning man eyes an life jacket.
I can’t be the only one feeling the oncoming PR 15. I’ve been walking to work more often and trying hard to exercise. Surely I can return to svelte Pre-PR weight. What about y’all? Is PR making you fat too?
I could not agree more- I definitely gained weight when I started my job! Part of it has to do with sitting at a desk for most of the day, but the schmoozing plays a big part too. Also, there seems to be a birthday every day in the office and someone always brings in cupcakes, which is my weakness!
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:43 AM
There should be some sort of law: ONE birthday cake per month. Everyone shares it. That’s it.
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Sheema Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:47 AM
Amen to that! I doubt anyone at work would go for it though lol
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Mmmm Taco Bell, lets hit that up for lunch today!!
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:43 AM
NO. I brought steamed fish. YOU’RE THE REASON I’M FAT.
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nom nom nom nom munch munch chew chew chew chew chew chew BUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPP
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I LOVE TACO BELL! Now I can’t wait for lunch.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Resist!
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Amanda Oleson Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:59 AM
Taco Bell is a lot like a grammar rant for me. It has to happen sometimes.
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Doesn’t it suck that the so-called glamorous aspects of PR – the parties and the events we sometimes score free admittance to – wind up settling on our thighs and stomach? What I need to do is negotiate a treadmill into my next job requirement! I LOVE this post.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Hahaha, thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to get a yoga lunch break organized for months, but no one ever has the time!
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This is so true! It was much easier to make time for the gym when I was in my pre-PR career as a journalist. That, and there were less catered lunches and cupcakes around.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Yeah, when you get home at the same time Letterman’s on, it’s hard to make gym time.
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DOOD. What about GRADUATE SCHOOL? I’m in my eight billionth year of schooling and I keep getting larger and larger. Paper-writing frustration very quickly yields to eating chocolate chips right out of the bag.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 5:17 PM
How the hell else are you supposed to eat chocolate chip cookies? Show me the a-hole who’s arranging them on a platter before daintily snapping off a tiny bit for themselves and I’ll show you, like, nothing. Because that person isn’t real.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Oh. Chips. Not cookies. Even so, out of the bag is where it’s at. Time saver.
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