The Devil Wears Prada

I saw this movie over Thanksgiving break and I just want to make a quick comment on it. Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly, a high power woman in the fashion industry. As a woman of high standing, she is obviously portrayed as a bitch. She is always bossing people around, making Andy run errands all over the NYC to please her. She even asks Andy to get her daughters the Harry Potter manuscripts before the book is published. Along with being a bitch, Miranda has a messed up home life. Her kids do not appear to be well behaved, because they tell Andy to bring the binder upstairs instead of just leaving it on the table in the hallway. At the end of the movie, Miranda tells Andy that she will be going through a second divorce. When Miranda is later criticized, Andy defends her saying that if Miranda was a man, she would be 10 times more respected.

In my opinion, this movie perfectly exhibits the stereotypes of high power, working women. High power women are in a double bind. If they are demanding and hard on their employees, they are a bitch. If they try to be nice to their employees, they are 'soft' and not fit for the job. There appears to be no middle ground. Being a woman leader is really hard. Society is not used to seeing women in high powered positions, so no matter what the woman does, she is criticized. Of course, Miranda has a messed-up home life, because a woman who devotes her life to her career cannot be a good mother or wife. Such women are too career-driven. This upset me. It is not fair that women in high power are always blamed for failing relationships. Relationships are two-sided. After thinking about the movie, I believe that Miranda was really good at her job, even though she probably did go overboard with the Harry Potter books. Andy's statement just about sums it up, the only reason Miranda is so heavily criticized is because she is a woman.