Rachael Wix12366465Journalists on the ScreenJOU3015MEssayWord Count: 1798

There are few professions where the position of women is more vigorously debated. How do the films you have seen make -- or fail to make -- a meaningful

contribution to that debate?

The role of women within the field of Journalism is an issue that has been widely debated by

many feminist theorists. The route of women’s entry into the workplace altogether has not

been a steady and gradual path towards emancipation (Franks, 2013, 1). Women have had to

fight their way in to what was originally a male dominated industry, overcoming multiple

challenges to prove their worthiness. While there is a great deal of noise about women

journalists in the media, how women have dealt with both professional and personal issues in

terms of training, recruitment, promotion prospects, and how they have confronted sexism

has attracted far less noise (Chambers et al, 2004, 5). The Devil Wears Prada, a novel written

by Lauren Weisberg, challenges the roles of professional women within the fashion industry.

Director David Frankel created a film adaptation of this novel in 2006, posing it as a

postfeminist chick-flick. The story line follows recent college graduate Andrea (‘Andy’)

Sachs – portrayed by Anne Hathaway – as she pursues a career in Journalism after moving to

New York. Her journey lands her as a co-assistant to Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep),

demanding editor in chief of Runway Magazine.

The Devil Wears Prada can be argued as a postfeminist film, due to the focus on professional

women and their life priorities, whether that be their family or their career. Released at a time

when women frequently occupied the top echelons and a professional woman was no longer a

rare sight, it nevertheless reveals old entrenched ideas about women’s relationship to power

(Barger, 2011, 344). However, the focus on the fashion industry within this film reinforces

the stereotype of women and their fascination with consumer goods. As an industry

frequently under fire for distorting perceptions of ‘beauty’ and damaging women’s self-

esteem, The Devil Wears Prada documents the lengths women will go to in order to succeed

in their career. For example, Miranda’s first assistant Emily (Emily Blunt) starves herself

during the weeks leading up to the Paris Fashion Week in order to look as thin as possible,

and fit into a variety of designer outfits. David Frankel stated in an interview “It’s set in the

fashion world and that’s a world that’s easy to mock. I actually have great respect for the

professionals on both sides, journalism designers in the fashion industry, and I wanted to

make a movie that celebrated what they did as much as poke fun at the challenges of their

lives.” (Frankel, 2006). The Devil Wears Prada perceives the fashion industry as extremely

competitive, however highlights the deceit and betrayal between professional women in order

to succeed in their careers.

First of all, The Devil Wears Prada promotes the professional women as an attractive

alternative to traditional gender roles. Set in the offices of ‘Runway Magazine’ in New York,

all employees are depicted as slaves to the industry, rather than housewives dedicated to

raising a family. The idea behind using an urban location is to provide what is assumed to be

more exciting, fast-paced, high-toned lifestyle. This lifestyle often includes designer shoes,

expensive restaurants, and rich men (Das, 2015, 95). Therefore, the industry set within this

film advertises the professional woman as living a luxury lifestyle with endless opportunities,

which in turn attracts young women to become successful professionals. Baehr and Gray

(1996) argue that “the ‘lifestyles’ portrayed in different magazines are not, of course,

coterminous with the actual lifestyle, or consumption habits, of the majority of readers of

those magazines.” (Baehr and Gray, 1996, 89). However, this argument completely opposes

the habits of Runway’s readership, who are dedicated to high-end fashion and regularly

implement it in their everyday lives. This is experienced by Andy when she joins the Runway

team, as she becomes the subject of workplace bullying due to her sense of style, which

begins her transition into a Runway fashionista.

However, the iconic professional women is presented through the character of Miranda

Priestley (Meryl Streep). As editor in chief of a popular fashion magazine, she is powerful

and demanding. Miranda operates in a female work place as a demeaning, demanding and

unresponsive boss. She expects her staff of fashionistas to be available twenty-four hours a

day, seven days a week, perform impossible tasks, and work miracles overnight (Barger,

2011, 346). Miranda’s character represents a woman who has achieved success from being

good at what she does. Her authority within the fashion industry has led to devoting staff who

carry out a frantic ritual each morning of preparing the office for her arrival. She has little

respect for her staffs’ feelings, who will not dare question her authority, and rather compete

between themselves for Miranda’s approval.

The character of Miranda Priestly also challenges doubts that women are not natural born

leaders, demonstrating that not all women are submissive. Miranda’s leadership powers mean

her staff are willing to carry out any task in order to make her happy, as it is likely to improve

their career. Despite this, The Devil Wears Prada reflects the personal sacrifices made by

professional women in order to achieve career success. As a professional woman with an

extremely demanding role, Miranda’s personal life takes a turn for the worst as the success of

the magazine progresses. This is reflected through the failure of her second marriage which

ends in a divorce, witnessed by Andy when she visits Miranda’s town house and interrupts an

argument between Miranda and her husband. The fact is that cinema does not show the

traditional renunciation of family/sentimental life by women with demanding professions

(Valencia et al, 2008, 228). Frankel’s portrayal of Miranda’s marriage breakdown presents

the issue of personal problems, and how Miranda must place them aside in order to deal with

the Paris Fashion Week. This is reflected within the scene where Andy learns of Miranda’s

divorce. Andy is sympathetic towards Miranda after witnessing her upset, however despite

this, Miranda still upholds her cold and stern persona, as she cannot be seen as ‘weak’

through her emotional stress. While it does not condemn her for career success, she is

nevertheless held up as an example of the dangers of unrestrained female ambition and the

negative consequences of choosing to hold power (Barger, 2011, 346). These issues

somewhat suggest that women cannot commit to a stable work life balance, and therefore

personal issues must be sacrificed in order to reach success.

The character of Andy (Anne Hathaway) presents the professional women in a different

stance to Miranda. Andy is a recent college graduate, wanting to get her foot in the

Journalism door. Despite being offered an interview for Runway Magazine, Andy has no

relevant knowledge in the fashion industry, wearing clothes that the Runway ‘clackers’ turn

their noses up at. She finds herself completely bewildered by the staffs’ fear of Miranda’s

arrival, until she is face to face with the editor, who proceeds to scrutinise her. As an

intellectual woman with a devoting boyfriend and close group of friends, Andy’s new job as

assistant to Miranda challenges her personal life of many different levels. Set in the catty

world of fashion magazines…2006’s The Devil Wears Prada tests the resolve of intellectual

females dismissive of the fashion business as the work of shallow airheads devoted to a

frivolous consumer culture rather than the enduring and intangible life of the mind (Ferriss

and Young, 2008, 41).

Throughout the film, Andy finds herself consumed by the industry in order to please

Miranda. Although her job is low paid and the hours are unsociable, Andy throws herself into

the life of an assistant, constantly on the phone, running errands and meeting Miranda’s every

demand. She becomes interested in designer brands, attending events and socialising with the

‘fashion elite’, which in turn puts a strain on her personal life. Throughout her time with

Runway, Andy’s boyfriend, Nate (Adrian Grenier), and her two best friends, Lily and Dough

(Tracie Thoms and Rich Sommer), face huge challenges within their relationships. As Andy

becomes engulfed within the industry, her personal life takes a step back, justified with the

promise of a better career after she has completed a year as Miranda’s assistant. The demands

faced within her job results in Andy missing important events planned by friends and family

in order to keep Miranda happy, supporting the argument that a professional woman cannot

handle a successful career and a stable social life with friends. The growth of her success

with Runway leads to the breakdown of her relationships with her boyfriend and best friends,

leading to Andy spending even more time at work, slowly replacing her friends and boyfriend

with associates from Runway. She also finds herself in the arms of Christian Thompson

(Simon Baker), a rich successful writer who assists Andy with her career. Her transformation

to a Runway ‘fashionista’ is evidence of Ferriss and Young’s (2008) theory of the makeover

film, where a woman is transformed into a new identity in order for personal gain. However,

Andy’s transition leads her to consider how important her personal life is over her career,

which results in her leaving Runway and pursuing a career as a newspaper reporter. Her new

career leads to disowning the fashion industry, and rebuilding her relationships with loved

ones. This is a clear representation of the professional women in regards to career success in

the field of Journalism, and the important choices they must make.

In conclusion, The Devil Wears Prada contributes to the debate of women in the profession

of Journalism both positively and negatively. The breakthrough of women in Journalism

challenges stereotypical gender roles, proving that women can do the same job as men, and

be just as successful. However, the focus around the fashion industry portrays female

stereotypes in a damaging manner, presenting women as materialistic beings who are in the

industry for personal gain. The demand of the fashion industry on women’s lives within The

Devil Wears Prada suggests that those within the industry must choose between their career

and their personal life. By presenting an ultimatum for these women, this causes stress and

upset for those who cannot handle a stable work/life balance. This stems from the ideology

that presents a professional woman as a single, independent individual with a sparse social

life, which is reflected within Andy’s situation of losing her partner and friends, leading to

isolation and unhappiness. David Frankel has succeeded in creating an entertaining

adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s novel, which both mocks and celebrates the fashion

industry in a modern society. However, Frankel’s film adaptation perceives women as power

hungry and success driven beings, completely abolishing outdated opinions of women

belonging in the home as housewives and mothers. Overall, The Devil Wears Prada

highlights the opportunities now available to modern women, celebrating the ongoing

progress women are making in their career choices.

References

Baehr, H. and Gray, A. (1996) Turning It On: A Reader in Women & Media. London: Arnold.

Barger, L. C. (2011) Backlash: From Nine to Five to The Devil Wears Prada. Women’s Studies, 40

336-350.

Chambers, D., Steiner, L. and Fleming, C. (2004) Women and Journalism. London: Routledge.

Das, S. (2015) A Glimpse at Popular Formula in ‘Chick Lit’: A New Genre of Women’s Fiction: A

Textual Exploration on Hollywood’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘When in Rome’. International

Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 2(3) 92-97.

Ferriss, S. and Young, M. (2008) Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies. New York:

Routledge.

Frankel, D. (2006) The Devil Wears Prada Interview. [interview] Australian Broadcast Corporation.

Interviewed by David Stratton, At The Movies, 27 September. Available from

http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1747728.htm [Accessed 26 April 2016].

Franks, S. (2013) Women and Journalism. London: I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd.

Valencia, O. B., Cantalapiedra, M. J, García, C. C, Arratibel, A. G, Fernández, S. P and Dasilva, J. A.

P. (2008) …So What? She’s A Newspaperman and She’s Pretty. Women Journalists in the Cinema.

Zer: Revista de Estudios de Comunicacion, 13(25) 221-242.