Double Whammy for Females in Professional Services - You Not Only Have to Be Always-On, You Also Can't be Overweight

"For an obese woman, losing 65 pounds has roughly the same impact on her wages as getting a master's degree, The Economist's Alice Fulwood reports."- Axios, July 29, 2023

Humor showcases a lot about the society. There is that old joke about large elite law firms ranging from Cravath to Paul Weiss: The newbie male lawyers at the firm do the "law-firm 20" - that is analogous to the weight gain known as "freshman 15" in college. The females get thinner. Both experience their respective situations because of so much work and stress. If Tom Wolfe, author of "The Bonfire of the Vanities," were alive he could do a spoof on the "X-ray" kinds of females in law, finance, management consulting and public relations. His book stuck to featuring the trophy wives. 

Now research, brought mainstream by Axios, explains those weighty dynamics. Being overweight, which can be a stigma in the workplace since it signals lack of drive and discipline, doesn't hit the branding of males, at least not as hard as it does that of females. From the get-go in career-building in professional services females should know the importance of being thin. Meanwhile, an athletic body style for females is a plus. 

A chubby Bill Clinton was a gift that kept giving to the tabloid media. It captured him jogging with his thighs bulging in shorts. It also provided other visual humor in mockups of his daily consumption of high-fat calories. However, his core brand was not damaged by the knocks about his weight.

In contrast, prominent female lawyers, both in real-life and fiction, can't risk being overweight. If they are they better be killers in their niche practice. Typical was Alicia Florrick on "The Good Wife" who had been thin but with curves. Her female boss was a kind of X-ray.

Of course, the middle-age spread, if moderate, will be tolerated as females age. Label that the second phase of a career climb. They had already made it through other rites of passage.

On the US Supreme Court the three females are not model-thin but not obese. Since they are in mid-life slack is cut for them. The same goes for litigation powerhouse at Paul Weiss Loretta Lynch. If at Jones Day's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office partner-in-charge Laura Ellsworth wants to pork up a bit that probably won't be noted. 

Surprisingly, in the even more competitive field of acting type-casting allows in the overweight female. As an actress overweight Kathy Bates has always been marketable. It is interesting to note that genius in blue-collar roles Roseanne Barr lost her hold on success after she had lost weight. 

Early in my career I transitioned from non-profit to the Fortune 50. One immediate bump in the road was the 15 pounds I shouldn't have had on a petite frame. No slouch at figuring out the game, I knocked off the weight. But memory banks harden fast in that brutal environment. That and other mistakes made it necessary for me to switch within 23 months to another Fortune 50, thinner and housebroken about corporate culture.

Currently, as a caeer coach I tutor those struggling with fitting in. Part of the advice, at least for females, is: Yes, bring in the cookies or cake made from scratch but don't eat any of it. Not even the batter. Intuitively, when I am doing aTarot career-oriented reading on the phone I can "feel the fat." There's darkness. Yes, it's that much of an issue. 

Observation: Of course, employment lawyers could take a great deal of interest in this weighty issue. 

Data or the gut for your careers and communications? Both of course. Complimentary consultation with intuitive coach, content-creator, and Tarot reader Jane Genova (text 202-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com).