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5 lessons we learned by watching “The Devil Wears Prada”…again
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5 lessons we learned by watching “The Devil Wears Prada”…again
Pineapples Don't Have Sleeves
It has been almost 15 years since The Devil Wears Prada came out and you can be sure we’re still screaming every time we hear the famous quote “Are you wearing the Ch….Chanel boots? Yeah!”. We already know that the movie is inspired by a book by the same name that tells the story of an assistant of the famous Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Come on!, even if the movie didn’t show everything like it really is (supposedly Anna never throws her coat at people and no one is actually running with stilettos), we absolutely adore this caricature-like view of the fashion world. Besides there are so many things that are true…so we decided to watch it for the 24th time, and actually sit down and analyze everything: from fashion tips, relationships ’til obviously, what it is to be a Girl Boss in this world.
1.Can we toss the idea that because you like fashion you’re stupid?
As people who are in the fashion world, we always find this idea offensive and truly obsolete. As we see in the beginning of the movie, Andy goes through some awakening herself by realizing (the hard way) that fashion is so much more than looking just…good. It’s the job of millions of people who see it as a way of expressing ideas or points of view, it truly is a long creative process that tells stories and history itself. And let’s not forget, are we really gonna judge a woman for looking good? Do we have to look bad to seem smart? And as Miranda Priestly said it herself:
“It’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room...from a pile of “stuff.”
2.With the right music, you’ll feel ready to walk the runway
We only need to watch five minutes of the movie to realize that paying attention to every song is a must! There is no coincidence why every song was matched with each scene. Let’s start with the first scene: the transitions of the models and Andy getting ready to go out, which are accompanied by Kt Tunstall’s Suddenly I see and the lyrics fit so well, that you better read it:
Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she’s a beautiful girl
She’s a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm
And then of course, we got Madonna’s Jump when Emily woke Andy up at 6 a.m. on her first day of work, and a reference to the real Miranda Priestly, Anna Wintour with Madonna’s Vogue. And finally, you better listen to U2’s City of Blinding Lights because it’s a song as special as when Andy sees Paris for the very first time.
3.“If she were a man, the only thing people would talk about is how good she is at her job.”
We all need to think this through: If Miranda Priestly were a man, would her whole attitude be acceptable? We mean, we have been thinking about this for years now, society tends to punish women’s leadership and preach men’s toughness. We won’t necessarily say Miranda is living the right way, but can we really not understand a woman that wants to focus on her career and is passionate about what she does? One has to ask, if Miranda were a man and had a wife, wouldn’t she be more understanding? It’s about time to give Miranda the credit she deserves: she is a fierce and perfectionist boss who is not afraid of sharing her thoughts and is committed to “Runway”, plus she has lived a life that makes her happy.
4. Nigel is the friend we all deserve!
It’s not only that we’re obsessed with Stanley Tucci, btw, did you know he is married to Emily’s Blunt sister? The actress that plays Emily! Ok, now let’s get back to it, Nigel is the kind of friend we all need in our lives and he has gone unnoticed for way too long. Yes, maybe he wasn’t the most lovable person but he was always deadly honest, and sometimes that’s the best support you can get. We love the scene where he tells Andy that he read “Runway” every night when he was a kid and that she was not making an effort, just working to pay the bills. What a great example of a hard working passionate person but also down to earth! We love Nigel because he is probably one of the best people in the whole movie, so much better than Andy’s friends.
5. What happens when your partner and friends' opinions matter more than yours?
Seat comfortably because we’re about to start a rant. Do you know what is Nate’s (Andy’s boyfriend) first dialogue in the movie?:
-So you got a job in a fashion magazine?
-Well, what was it, a phone interview?
How come, that after all these years, we just realized that Miranda Priestly wasn’t the villain but Nate? Throughout the movie, we see Andy growing and changing, figuring out who she wants to be and what she is willing to do for her passion, that’s exactly what your first job is all about. So, how come her boyfriend and friends are gladly receiving gifts but continuously judged her because she was evolving? There is a scene where one of them clearly criticized her because she is changing after 16 years, isn’t it normal that someone changes after all that time? What was clear as water is that Andy needed best friends that actually respected her decisions. And let’s not forget, for Nate’s birthday, yes Andy was late, but seemed truly sorry and apologized for it while wearing a gown, Nate, could you give the girl a break? She is clearly trying!
And last but not least, one of our favorite scenes is when Andy is defending Miranda, saying things would be different if she were a man, what a feminist claim! So how come by the end she is apologizing to Nate…what did she do wrong? We still don’t know. Yes, she was more absent but hey, she was dedicated to her job, she could have used more support! If you ask us, she should have never apologized, she was a Girl Boss working her ass off to get what she wanted, there will never be anything wrong with that. And if Nate doesn’t get it, well TTYN! (Talk To You Never).
So, are we still obsessed with The Devil Wears Prada? YES! Do we still look at it as we did 15 years ago, NO!. Before, we used to think Miranda was the mean one, now we clearly see a passionate woman that worked really hard and an apprentice who wanted a bright future. And of course, a toxic boyfriend and jealous friends who truly needed focus on their own lives…THAT’S ALL (Get the reference?).
Pineapples Don't Have Sleeves
I want to officially introduce myself, I’m Pineapples Don’t Have Sleeves and I was born 4 years ago from the creative mind of a Colombian woman called Johanna Nodier who studied in Milan and Paris. We share our love for pineapples, wearing colors and dreaming with fantastical printed dresses. I’m a cosmopolita, yes baby, I’ve been to Milan, Bogotá, Aruba and Colombiamoda Fashion Week. I have always stood for women being whoever they want to be and breaking the rules of fashion. It’s so nice to meet you and welcome to my world!
Thank you for reading this article and being part of #GirlsTalk, cheers for learning and growing together!
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- 25/01/2021
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