Even In The Movies, Journalism Is Fucked | Defector

"The real plot of all of these movies, though, was the love line. Who would the protagonist fall in love with? Would it be that man (or woman) whom she hated initially? Usually, it would be. The Devil Wears Prada was different. Those other movies were all about falling in love with a romantic partner. The Devil Wears Prada is a movie about falling in love with work."

"Unlike the other heroines, Andy starts the movie with a boyfriend, Nate, who lived with her but was otherwise pretty unsupportive of her career. He was supposed to function as a kind of moral compass for the film in 2006. The Andy he knew at Northwestern didn't care about Paris Fashion Week, what designer someone wore, or whether her hair was right. The Andy he knew cared about journalism, about reporting, about trying to change the world."

"Andy has to become the assistant to the evil Miranda Priestly and succeed in her terrible job at Runway by sacrificing her morals, because she knows that she needs the connections. The movie ends with Andy getting a job at the Mirror, a newspaper, on Miranda's recommendation. One year of hell as someone's ass"

Romantic comedies traditionally featured female journalists or magazine writers as protagonists whose primary plot involved finding romantic love. The Devil Wears Prada subverts this formula by centering on Andy's passionate pursuit of her career at a fashion magazine rather than romance. Andy abandons her boyfriend Nate, who represents traditional values and disapproves of her career focus, to work as Miranda Priestly's assistant. Through sacrifice and moral compromise, Andy gains professional connections and ultimately secures a journalism position at a newspaper. The film reframes the romantic comedy genre to celebrate career ambition and professional achievement as the true love story, with Andy's transformation driven by her dedication to work rather than romantic fulfillment.

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