Do you remember that scene from "The Devil Wears Prada" when Miranda Priestly (played by the one and only Meryl Streep) and her editors are in her office picking out clothing for a shoot? You know, the one where the two belts are the exact same color but have different detailing and Andrea (played by Anne Hathaway) laughs at them. No matter how many times I see this movie, I still feel nervous for Andrea when Miranda absolutely rips her a new one.
I think this is something that needs to be talked about because Andrea doesn’t care about fashion and, quite frankly, thinks that it is pointless. To those who share her opinion: YOU’RE WRONG! In this scene, Miranda shows not only her love for and knowledge of the fashion industry, but also her vicious nature. Miranda tells her that, while Andrea thinks she has exempted herself from the fashion world, the very sweater that she is wearing connects her directly to the billion dollar industry simply by it being a specific shade of blue. This statement and the film as a whole can be controversial because of the fact that it is about fashion, which can be very complex and can appeal to a variety of opinions and beliefs. The point that Miranda Priestly is making is that fashion is important to everyone in this world no matter what social status you uphold or how much intellect you possess.
Along with many other people, Andrea believes that fashion is a minute and insignificant aspect of life. What she does not realize is that everyone is a part of the fashion industry. Everyone has to wear clothing (except those living in nudist colonies). We all wake up in the morning and throw on a pair of pants and some sort of top. While people with Andrea’s point of view think that they are showing that they do not care by throwing on a lumpy sweater and a skirt, people like Miranda Priestly might take it as that person’s attempt at portraying the “grunge” look, which has been quite trendy in recent years.
The idea of fashion, in itself, is controversial. What is fashion? Fashion changes constantly because different designers think up these new concepts and new ways to wear a piece of fabric. Andrea thought that by not caring about fashion, she was more wholesome and concentrated on things of more “value” in life, but Miranda was explaining the complexity of the fashion industry. One piece of clothing created by a designer can create a domino effect. If enough people are intrigued, they will invest millions of dollars into that design so it can be produced and sold. That investment creates thousands of jobs for the production companies that reproduce that design. After the original design has been sold to high class socialites and celebrities, companies more accessible to the middle and lower classes will create variations to sell. This, in turn, creates even more jobs and more income. Although Miranda Priestly comes about this whole message in, quite frankly, a bitchy way, she is completely right.
The belief that fashion is only part of those lives who actually care about fashion should be looked at the same as any other belief. Some people care about cars and believe that cars are very important. There are also going to be other people who believe cars are not important. All of these beliefs can vary according to where you live, social status, financial status, and many other conditions. The whole controversy of how Miranda goes about getting this message across to Andrea can be avoided if people's reactions to being laughed at were taken into consideration. Miranda cares deeply for fashion and is offended by Andrea’s obvious disdain for it. If anyone were to laugh at another person while they were doing their job, they would get offended. Miranda just wasn’t afraid to show her ugly side. The characters in this movie who work for the fashion magazine, all seem to hate their lives, even Miranda, but we see throughout the film that they will do anything to keep their jobs because it is what they love to do. They know the hard work of this industry, and they respect and love it, just like anyone in any industry feels about their passion.
I think this could be a good lesson in the sense that, hopefully, you can realize the importance of the fashion industry. More importantly, if your boss happens to be a tyrant-like, raging b*tch… try not to laugh at them.
