In a day and age where most adult millennials are plagued with the horrific realization that they do indeed hate their bosses, The Devil Wears Prada perfectly depicts what it's like to work in a job where your time and energy are completely consumed. It is quite frightening to learn you're not happy with your job. Growing up, many of us have seen direct family members who dreaded going to work most mornings. They only go because they have no other option and must conduct the necessary steps to take care of their family, financial commitments, and overall responsibilities.
Being the manager or head of a team is a sensitive predicament to be in. Yes, it's a privilege and great accomplishment to be promoted to a higher-ranking position. But it is more so the way in which said bosses interact with their fellow employees that will ultimately distinguish what type of work environment employees will experience. Millennials often look for positions where the company's surroundings inspire them to achieve great things while hoping their perspective bosses will provide them with mentorship throughout their careers.
Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is the perfect representation of the boss from hell. She ignores her employees, intentionally gets their names wrong, and verbally tears them apart, all because she feels like she can. The hostile work environment for her employees is toxic, mentally draining, and manipulative.
Though she doesn't directly berate her co-worker Nigel (Stanley Tucci), she does, in fact, make it a point to purposefully destroy the mental psyche and personal life of her young female counterparts. Whether you work in fashion, at an editorial publication, in sales, technology, or advertisements, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is more needed now than ever before. Here's why it should happen.
Represents Today's Work Place Problems
The Devil Wears Prada tells the story through the lens of Andy (Anne Hathaway), a recent college graduate of Northwestern University, who struggles to land her dream job in journalism. As Andy lands an unexpected position in the fashion industry, she must work as co-assistant to the influential editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly. Though Andy initially feels disconnected from the job due to her uninterest in the superficial lifestyle associated with the fashion industry, she dives headfirst into the position. She wants to prove that she can successfully complete the job, in a need to dismantle the notion of being a quitter and open doors to future employers.
Realistically, most adults today who are ambitious in their future job pursuits either stay at jobs they have negative experiences or don't have their hearts invested in because they're not happy. Instead, they resume their positions out of a combination of proving to themselves they can actually complete tasks, as well as avoiding possible financial burdens.
Personal Sacrifices Go Beyond the Norm
The high amounts of sacrifice that go into working at a high-pressure job are limitless. As the decline of having a social life fades far away, along with giving up on the possibility of setting aside time for yourself, work becomes the only way of life. Going beyond the nine to five work schedule, missing family events, social gatherings among friends, and date nights are all sacrifices that Andy had to make as she decided to stay on as Miranda's second assistant. It gets to the point where Andy and her then-boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier) end up parting ways because he feels like she's changed who she was through her makeover to be accepted by her co-workers.
A possible sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is arguably much needed, especially in this landscape where newly released films are accessible through the single click of a smart remote. More importantly, possessing the ability to illustrate what it's like for a twenty-something-year-old guy or girl struggling to stay afloat in the excessively large melting pot of New York City is an evident representation of what the world currently looks like today.
Facing extreme uncertainty, the workforce has transitioned into a fast-paced and intricate atmosphere. The fact is, bosses are people just like everyone else and tied into the various physical, mental and social constraints (as a result of a tough two years), the preconceived label of having a traditionally mean or malicious authority figure is heightened now than ever before.
Working in the midst of a global pandemic, as a result of being secluded during quarantine, has placed a strain on everyone in different ways. As a little over half the population transitioned from in-office workdays to work-from-home settings, the series of uncontrollable events that led to these changes has significantly impacted everyone.