The Devil Wears Prada

The truth of the matter is that while we do not live in a patriarchy as strict as the definition would lead you to believe, we do, however, live amongst a society that was patriarchal and its remnants carry over into the modern day. Evidence for this at its most tangible can be found by looking no further than wages. Women earn less than men. A study  by Georgetown University outlines that within the same fields, same credentials, same everything except for a Y chromosome, women, on average earn 81 to 92 cents per every dollar than men earn. This being said, there are success stories everywhere you look and hyperbolized to serve as subplots for film, "The Devil Wears Prada" for one. 

Catalyst and their #biascorrect campaign they did in 2020 explain very well the duality of language as it colloquially applies to men and women in the workplace within a few images.  

  

While they are the same humans doing the same tasks and demanding the same things, they are seen differently and therefore treated differently on the basis of their gender. However unfair or unjust it may seem, the truth is that it happens more than we'd care to admit or go to the trouble to fix. This being the case, women are left with two options, to either shy away or accept and move on. Those who choose the latter are the women leaders we see climbing the corporate ladder all while being called "pushy" and any amount of other names they choose to turn a blind eye to.

Can you guess which was which

 

People that work to get to be as high and important as 

Miranda was, aim to keep it that way, some more willing to maintain it by any means than others, case in point, Nigel's career treachery. He was going to get his big break and finally call the shots for his life for the first time in 40 years. It was a big deal and even encouraged by Miranda herself, until it got in her way. At first notice that her career was in jeopardy, she threw him under the bus and didn't think twice let alone feel guilty. 

This is not the way of every women leader, it is only one instance based in a fictitious film.

But it feels real. 

Why? 

The concept of pouring your time, money, effort, life into something is pretty universal.

For Miranda, it was her career, becoming so focused that nothing else mattered. Not the trouble of being approachable. Not her husband(s). Not even her kids. They did matter at one point... for approximately 40 seconds before she was back to arranging seating charts for a gathering. Because of this mindset, she was probably the hardest worker out of everyone around her, earning her the highest position she could imagine. But there's a cost, luckily, for her, the cost doesn't seem to bother her (except for about 40 seconds). Luckily for the rest of us who have to answer to superiors, this is not the case for everyone, enter Andy. 

She turned it all away, remembering that she wasn't even 

interested in fashion at the beginning of the movie. In the end, she landed a new job with a sparkling letter of recommendation from Miranda, which was all she was ever looking for in the first place but that's because it's a movie and it needs a happy ending. The real world is not so assured. That's why Nigel was convinced, diluted, that Miranda would pay him back for her bout of blindside betrayal. Even when questioned he didn't speak on grounds of faith, he said that's what he needed to believe. 

Speaking of Nigel, he's probably one of the most interesting characters is the whole film. He plays the role of both follower to Miranda and leader to Andy, doing a good job at both while the two sides seem opposites.  

As far as Andy's concerned, it wasn't that much of an ordeal given the working environment. While his first long shpeel to her after the flight incident seems harsh, it's the truth. She came to work as an assistant for someone she didn't even know in an industry she had no interest in. Why would they take it easy on her? Cause she's new? Entitled, frankly. 

He just needed to explain the mindset that everyone else had in her language (not what Miranda did with the belts), provide a new wardrobe, and she did the rest by herself. A good leader guided in the right direction and a good follower took it from there.

His followership towards Miranda is also good. Whether it's good for him is another issue but his complete lack of self-respect does Miranda really well. So much so that she could metaphorically chain him to her, and she did. 

Emily's not much different. She's a great follower who takes so much pride in her work she's willing to be mean and spiteful towards those who'd threaten it. Sound similar? Leaders should be ones that their followers can look up to and emulate, and emulate she does. Whether it's for a leader that deserves it is questionable. She got the job done, you can't debate that, but she's not pleasant to work with. 

Does this mean she's bossy, emotional, and abrasive or a boss, passionate, and assertive? Hmm

Andy on the other hand might not have been a good follower in the sense that she didn't "follow" but she was a good person with a healthy amount of self-respect, a quality necessary for a successful 

leader - follower relationship. 

While these are certainly some versions of followership none of them should not be the kind strived towards because, as a wise man once prompted for a blog post, it does indeed "take two to tango," and Miranda was not giving anything but expectations for the world to bend over backward for her, which, to her credit, they usually did. At the risk of her marriage, children, a semblance of a work-life balance, the mere idea that people might look forward to other presence without the undertones of fear, but hey, people run when she says walk. People's priorities can be different. 

References

ivs5200. (2023, September 11). The Dynamics of Followership in “The Devil Wears Prada.” Sites.psu.edu. https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2023/09/11/the-dynamics-of-followership-in-the-devil-wears-prada/ 

Carnevale, Gulish, & Smith. (1970, January 1). Women Can’t Win: Despite Making Educational Gains and Pursuing High-Wage Majors, Women Still Earn Less than Men. Digitalgeorgetown. http://hdl.handle.net/10822/1049530