Having said that I didn’t enjoy the movie, The Devil Wears Prada 2 nails a few pertinent points which demand deeper reflection.
Again, the post has spoilers so please proceed at your discretion.
Rise of AI and Loss of Creativity
Nigel laments the loss of his precious photoshoot budgets. Granted his vision was extraordinarily opulent with the top models, couture outfits, luxury accessories which are no longer relevant in the current landscape of AI. These images are already on small screens commanding an attention span of 5s at most, why waste so much money on the art when AI can produce the same on a budget of pennies.
Andy is reduced to churning out tabloid fodder in the name of features to feed the fickle audience. Turns out, a consultant suggests removing the features department altogether and using AI instead. The devaluation of journalism is a core theme in the movie.
Paper to Screen
Runway is no longer the enigma it used to be – revered and worshipped, it is now yet another digital publication thanks to the changing landscape. However, Miranda still insists on physical copies for everything including the legendary “book” to finalize the monthly prints.
Consumer Behavior
Emily notes this beautifully – earlier spending $200 was a luxury purchase and now people want to be seen with $3000 bags on a grocery outing. Spending capacity of the upper middle class has seen a massive increase in the last two decades and so is the shift noted in consumer behavior.
Changing Work Culture
Although Miranda’s struggle to hang her own coat or travelling economy provides comic relief, what hits the hardest is her insecurity for her own job. She has been a force of nature running Runway single handedly for so many years. In the last movie, she had all cards in her hand and she commanded the game.
Yet, after two decades, her future lies in the whim of an old man who doesn’t understand what she or Runway represent. The promotion which should have been given to her served on a plate is being dangled in front of her as a trick.
The Cost of Success
Miranda finally speaks about all that she has lost in the pursuit of her ambition. She acknowledges and wants Andy to document these losses as part of her story to serve as a reminder that every choice has a cost associated with it, the one which affects the entire ecosystem around you.
