PR Grouch thinks attractive people make PR a better place

 7th March 2013    PR Guru 

There is one thing I like about working in PR. The eye candy! 

Clearly I'm not about to gush on about how charming, interesting and hard-working PROs are – as if! What I like is far more superficial. PR people make an effort with their looks so it makes the whole industry more decorative.

The bad thing about working in PR is that you often have to mix with people in other industries who aren't quite as fit! They care more about what they do than the way they look (hmm, wonder why I can never understand that).

I was hoping to be more specific about this, but when I searched the internet for an answer as to which business sector is the least attractive, I couldn’t find anything definitive. However, I have my own ideas about this based on my own limited experience.

Judging from what I have read about diversity lately, PR is not a profession that lets any old person join, no matter what their background or appearance.

Of course it's plain wrong to be prejudiced against those who don’t conform to today’s rigid ideals of beauty, but like it or not, it’s not just PR that favours these ideals. According to a recent item in the Wall Street Journal, thin women can expect to earn more than their overweight friends.

The problem with judging people on their looks is that it can work both ways. As I get older and wider, it takes longer to find any clothes that can make me look half decent, so I worry that I no longer have the right aesthetic qualifications to continue in PR. Oh well, there is always telemarketing!