Member-only story
Things People Don’t Say to Reporters Who Aren’t on the Sex Beat
“Is there really enough going on the world of politics to write about that full time?”
“Is there really enough going on the world of politics to write about that full time?”
“When you review mattresses, you shouldn’t be surprised if men ask to sleep with you.”
“You have a sports column? Seriously? Noooo. Tell me what you really do.”
“I saw in your Twitter bio that you write about gardening. Here’s a high-resolution pic of my magnolias.”
“Hi, gorgeous. I know you don’t know me, but I loved that article you wrote about cake. I’m the king of cakes. I make amazing cakes. In fact, my cake is so huge, I know you’ll want to eat it.”
“Does your mother know you cover diabetes?”
“Damn girl, that article you did on how to prevent accounting errors was hot. I’ll bet you and your boyfriend just crunch numbers all night looooooong.”
“When you reported from the Mark Zuckerberg hearings, did you use your real name?”
“I hear you wrote that expose on subway funding. Girl, I’d love to see your F line.”
“You don’t have a hot friend who also reviews books, do you? You should invite her to my place. The three of us could drink a little wine, get to know each other, and read.”
“Come on. You just said you report on global supply chain transformation because you wanted to hit on me.”
“You write about cancer and you’re telling me you don’t want to have it all day?!”
Terena Bell is a reporter covering sex, tech, books, and additional topics for Playboy, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and others. Follow her on Twitter @TerenaBell.
