She's come undone

After traveling for work, a typical story from me usually starts: So it was me and 8 men... I have been in PR for nearly 10 years now (WOW, even I can't believe that since I am like, what 24?) and have always worked in tech PR of some sort, except when I was with a major athletic brand (rhymes with pikey if you are North American, Bike if you are English) and even then I did athletic technology devices. I have PR'd everything from Software to Micro Processors, Shoes to Vaccines; the common thread being innovation and technology. Unfortunately, it does still tends to be a very male dominated field. When I was a consultant, many of my agency cohorts were women, but now that I am in house, it's typically me and a bunch of sales guys, technical guys or engineers. I don't mind at all and if I am honest I actually tend to find men easier to relate to, it's probably one of the areas I struggle with most in my friendships with women.

So, last night I am at dinner with 5 men in Bucharest. 3 I work with and 2 work for a partner to our company. One of them notices that I am no longer wearing "the" ring I was wearing earlier. He assumes it's an engagement ring (it looks like one, although it's my birthstone and not a diamond, and I absolutely love it) and as I had mentioned my boyfriend earlier in conversation, asks how he feels about me taking it off. My response, it didn't match my bracelet. Ladies (and these days possibly the men, all things being equal) you know when someone is enquiring out of curiosity and you know when they are enquiring out of, oh how do I say it? Lust? The deal is, I always wear a ring on my left hand when I travel for work. I always have, even before CB. Some of the countries I visit can not comprehend and unmarried woman, so it's just easier and in others it wards of unwanted attention. So for the table of men, half of whom are likely still intrigued by a woman at a business dinner who is not a PA or an EA or something else with assistant in the title, it was most interesting. In their eyes I had the "luck" of finding someone who wanted to marry me, but myself was indifferent. Actually, they quite proudly concluded that I was a GD who required a ring for every outfit.

Who says a girl can't have fun on a business trip? As my girl crush once said, lying is the most fun a girl can have...without taking her clothes off.