I’m standing in front of the fridge, too exhausted to cook but too hungry to sleep. Enter girl dinner — a plate of whatever requires zero effort. A few crackers, some cheese, maybe a couple of cold cuts if I’m lucky. It’s not a meal — IT’S SURVIVAL.

I never imagined that my years in public relations would teach me how to eat like a scavenger. But here we are…

Between press releases, back-to-back meetings, last-minute crisis control, and an inbox that refuses to stay at zero, meals have become… flexible. Some days, they’re planned, balanced and eaten at a respectable hour. Other days, girl dinner is whatever I can pull together between deadlines.

In PR, unpredictability is part of the job. You can have your whole day mapped out, only for a client emergency to send you into an hours-long tailspin. You adapt, you problem-solve, you deliver. But in the process, personal needs — like eating a real meal — often get pushed aside. That’s when girl dinner isn’t just a trend; it’s a coping mechanism.

When Work Dictates How (and If) You Eat

For nearly a decade, I’ve lived by the golden rule of PR: always be available. I could be at a client launch event, handling media relations, or coordinating a crisis strategy at 10 p.m. — and I’ve done all of the above, often on an empty stomach.

The reality of this job means that meal times are often compromised. Lunch turns into coffee, dinner is an afterthought, and suddenly, it’s 11 p.m., and I have NO energy left to fight. Cooking? Not happening. Ordering? Too much effort. So, I grab whatever’s within reach — a little bit of this, and a handful of that — and somehow, it counts as dinner.

The women I know — colleagues, clients, friends — are all in the same boat. It’s not just PR professionals. It’s lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, content creators, and moms juggling careers. Somewhere along the way, we stopped expecting to eat “REAL” meals every day. Instead, we piece together whatever we can, when we can, because life doesn’t wait.

Liberation or Just Making Do?

There’s something satisfying about eating exactly what you want, when you want, without having to consider anyone else (after all, you’ve worked really hard for it). No waiting for a dinner reservation, no catering to a partner’s preferences, no obligation to make something elaborate. Girl dinner can feel like a small act of rebellion — choosing yourself over expectations.

Read More: https://peonymagazine.com/wellness/girl-dinner-modern-survival/