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Underdog Wears Prada Sexism

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The Underdog Wears Prada : An Analysis on Miranda Priestly and Villainy
In the beginning of the movie The Devil Wears Prada, Andy Sachs says "She's [Miranda Priestly] not happy unless everyone around her is panicked, nauseous or suicidal." This Quote paints a rather cruel, uncaring, and even villainous character that Miranda Priestly embodies throughout the movie, but despite this negative opinion, we still feel a draw to her, an undeniable intrigue due to the confidence and strength she retains in her daily life. Chuck Klosterman, author of the essay "Villains Who are Not Villains," argues that a character is understood through their own realm, that we see villains contextualized to their situation (48). Miranda Priestly is not seen as a villain …show more content…

She proves herself to be a successful and talented leader of "Runway," but her employers still try to replace her, excusing themselves of their sexism by claiming that she is getting old and less up to date with the latest styles. It is apparent that she is actually being replaced because of the common sexist misconception that women get weaker and less able to do their job when they grow older, unlike a man who gets considered stronger and wiser. Miranda in response to this misconception has to hide behind a façade, a persona of power and confidence in order to compensate for the misconceptions held against her and in order to keep her career and the respect of her position. Though, in actuality it is shown that Miranda is not as strong as she may seem because towards the end of the movie, Miranda, unmade up and dressed down in a robe, reveals that she is getting a divorce. She exposes the toll her job places on her life and gives a glimpse to the stress and sacrifice she has made in her own personal life by creating a persona in order to combat the fallacy of sexism. This persona is the root cause of her villainous traits; it is through this persona that she demands so much of her employees and through this ambition and self preservation that she is willing to betray people like Nigel. If she had security and the trust that management naturally gives to men, she would not behave in these villainous ways and not have to fight and hurt others to keep her

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