I find it odd how my major seemingly parallels my life. The more I learn about public relations and becoming an expert in the field, the more I find myself incorporating PR habits and skills in my everyday life.After ending a two year relationship over a horrible “PR mishaps”, I found myself doing three things: watching copious amounts of Sex and the City, spending time with girlfriends, and preparing myself for the world of possibilities outside the relationship realm. The initial shock hit me like a pound of bricks and sent me to bed at 7:00 p.m. The next morning, I unwillingly pulled myself out of bed and laid in the sun for hours (I figured I could work on my tan). After a day of laughter and good weather, and thankfully few tears, I got ready for my first night out in my single gal shoes.
As I was getting ready, I found myself thinking about the process of putting one’s self back on the market and how a public relations practitioner projects their client. As a PR pro-in-training and newly single gal, I found myself taking extreme detail in presentation. In the business world, the client has to always shine in the best light and let public relations take care of the shadows. There is great attention to the presentation of the client. As for a single gal, she has to let herself shine, from the inside out. I realized while I could perfect my outside, I couldn’t truly shine until I dealt with my inner turmoil.
Public relations is all about taking care of the inside while presenting a manicured image on the outside. No matter the bad publicity or horrifying mishaps, PR experts have to pick up the pieces and put the client back together. But in relationships, who picks up the pieces and puts together a broken heart? After a break-up women have to be their own PR expert. We are responsible for our manicured image and making our mishaps look like a mere loose hem.
So with the first night in my single gal shoes behind me, I’m slowly accepting my imperfections and working what I have, manicured or not. If I have learned anything in PR it is: nothing is final. Tabloid headlines change every week, fashion trends fade every season, and when life doesn’t take care of it, well it’s nothing PR can’t fix.
As Sarah Jessica Parker in her famed role as Carrie Bradshaw once said: "You have to go back to your life as a real person. You have to pick yourself up, flaws and all, and finish. And that is just what I will do. Because when real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking." Sounds fabulous to me!
