The Devil Wears Prada

Being the movie buff I am, I was surprised at the difficulty I was having when I was creating this portfolio in finding gender artifacts in films.  In my final two I have decided to make them all from movies with the first being Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.   Miranda is the editor in chief of the magazine and is very independent in both her professional life and her personal life.  Because of her independence of others, especially her significant others, her relationships are quite rocky and she has been divorced many times. 

“…the woman in question is perceived as unfeminine, too independent and tough, overly ambitious, authoritative, and agenda driven.  Believing such behavior is unacceptable in and unbecoming to females, persons who ascribe to it believe that if women dressed and behaved more femininely they would improve their chances to succeed at work” (pg. 273).

The “Man-Like Woman” stereotype fits Miranda perfectly, even in the fact that she dresses very well and is very successful.  She doesn’t behave like a stereotypical woman and many people comment on it throughout the movie, labeling her as a “bitch” and being ”too tough.”  The only way for her to get to the position of power that she is in and keep it though is for her to be that stern leader.  It is a paradox that many women have fallen into on their journeys to the top.  She goes through many female assistants because they cannot keep up with her demands and the way that she asks for things to be done.  She speaks very generally and expects others to figure out what she means.  There is only one scene where it is shown for her to have feelings and the next day after the breakdown, she pretends like nothing happened.  Her leadership and verbal cues would both be considered very masculine and many would probably attribute her success to those facts. 

Miranda could also be considered a role model for the postfeminist movement with her rise to power and success in the corporate world.  Even though she is a fictitious character, I have read a few places that the book, and consequently the movie, are based off of Vogue’seditor in chief Anna Wintour; this give a “real face” to the postfeminist movement. 

Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2003). The Gender Communication Connection. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company