Jennica Wragg Core Blog Post #2 -The Devil Wears Prada and the Woman's Film- Is Meryl Streep the 21st Century Bette Davis

Andy Sachs character in The Devil Wears Prada reminds me in many ways of Bette Davis’s character in Now Voyager. Andy Sachs wearing her “grandmothers skirt” and “lumpy blue sweater” appears horribly unattractive and out of place in comparison to the other well groomed, well dressed girls at Runway fashion magazine. From the beginning of the film we root for Andy, we want her to succeed in her new job but perhaps even more than that we are anxiously anticipating the point when she realizes what she looks like and desires to change her appearance.  In terms of consumerism and fashion this film could not epitomize the Hollywood consumption patterns better. Every piece of clothing, every pair of shoes, every fashion show is created by some famous designer that only those wealthy enough or with enough star power could even dream of wearing. Andy Sachs transformation in which she becomes just another carbon copy of the girls frantically running around in their Jimmy Cho shoes at the Runway headquarters could not be a better way for fashion and cosmetic companies to latch on and exploit their products.  Andy’s transformation leads her to promotions, men, and opportunities to travel, yet at the same time her transformation denies her autonomy and independence. While she believes she is consciously making certain decisions it is rather the draw and addiction to consumerism that have allowed her to make certain choices.  In many ways one could argue the sheer emphasis and constant name dropping of prestigious designers and fashion magazines is a poor way to promote a feminist message however, like Now Voyager there are in fact various elements throughout the film that I would argue actually promotes feminist values in this woman’s film.

            By the time Anne Hathaway landed the role of Andy Sachs in the popular film The Devil Wears Prada she had already got a name for herself from the popular Princess Diaries series. Ironically, both her performances as Princess Mia Thermopolis and Andy Sachs revolve around her needing to transform her appearance in order to fulfill her duties and be successful in her role/job.  As the article mentioned, in Now Voyager Davis’s identity is based on the judgment of others, and Andy Sachs’s character demonstrates this as well. Andy does not agree to a physical transformation until Nigel makes a comment to her asking her if she in fact knows what she looks like.  Her decision to transform can be seen as problematic because she is dependent on the reassurance of others and appears to lack self confidence, yet at the same time is also signifies her independence as she is essentially stating she is willing to change herself to become professionally successful as this is what is required for her job thus her transformation can be seen as a way of challenging the notion of female domesticity in which appearance would not matter if one was confined to the home. In terms of romance while Andy is the target Christians gaze, at the same time the relationship is entirely mutual in which Christian has to chase after Andy but Andy also relies on Christian for assistance in her job.  These traits of mutual reciprocity are reflective of the romantic traits in the woman’s film which are also reflected in Now Voyager with the relationship between Charlotte and Jerry. Female desire in the Devil Wears Prada is not represented as finding the perfect man but rather finding the perfect job to enhance her resume that will lead her to a career that she is happy with- again rejecting traditional notions of domesticity. Andy’s decision to go to Paris and leave fellow colleague Emily behind negates any notion of a docile personality in which Andy displays qualities of ambition and destructiveness willing to leave others behind in order to get ahead.

            Both Andy and Charlotte end up in essentially the same environment they started. The idea behind the woman’s film illuminates a woman or women who have overcome adversity and through this go through a process of self-discovery, which is apparent with both of these two characters. While Charlotte ultimately ends up back in the home albeit under different circumstances she feels liberated and has found a duty that is fulfilling (taking care of Tina). When Andy quits her job as Runway to once again be unemployed, this time she finds her own way to work as a journalist which is what she originally wanted to do and we can see this as modernizing Charlotte’s utopian world in terms of feminist values as Andy’s utopian world and process of self discovery has led her to a fulfilling career away from the home.

            Aside from the character of Andy Sachs updating the female heroine role in the woman’s film genre Meryl Streep’s role as Miranda Priestly capitalizes on this as well. For one Miranda is fashionable but not in a sexualized and glamorized way. What sets her apart are the assets she has been able to accumulate because of her wealth from her successful career. Like Davis Meryl Streep is not a drop dead gorgeous blue eyed blonde but the attractiveness of her character and consumerist appeals comes not from what someone can buy for her but from what material goods she can buy for herself. The fact she is the editor in chief assigns her a sense of prestige and one assumes she is intelligent and business savy in order to have attained such a high position.  Like Davis even Streep’s personal life runs similar parallels.  Streep attained two university degrees and ended up marrying a “commoner” thus her rise to stardom has been completely independent of personal and familial connections. Meryl Streep knows what she wants and takes on roles that challenge her personally and professionally; she dresses in her personal life in a “classy” manner and relies solely on her talent to propel her as opposed to sex appeal.  Thus is many ways I would argue based on the characteristics described of Bette Davis, Meryl Streep has taken Bette’s qualities that differentiated her from her female colleagues in the industry and simply modernized them making her the 21^st century’s “Bette Davis.”