While The Devil Wears Prada came out over 10 years ago, the film has become a cult classic of fashion lovers and writers alike. The movie revolves around awkward journalist Andy and her transformation from geeky to chic as she slaves away to serve the “devil” herself, Miranda Priestly.
Not only does TDWP give fashion junkies and writers everywhere a serious confidence boost that following your dreams is possible–it also gives women a serious wake-up call to avoid sh*tty boyfriends.
Yes, I said it–The Devil Wears Prada is a girl boss classic, but it’s also a lesson for women everywhere: never let a man hold you down.
In the movie, Andry is dating hunky, sexy, and passionate chef Nate who seems like a good guy at first glance. Sure, he can cook a mean late-night grilled cheese and he doesn’t mind Andy’s bedhead. But, the minute that Andy starts succeeded in life and her career, Nate goes from cute, hunky chef-boy to annoying, whiny man-child.
goodnight to everyone except Nate from The Devil Wears Prada because he thought his birthday was more important than Andy's career pic.twitter.com/xQ49PHCah0
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 12, 2017
At the beginning of the movie, it’s hard to see that Nate is such an a**hole. In fact, you kind of adore his down-to-earth persona. But, subtly, he hints that his character is going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. I mean, from the jump he makes fun of Andy for having an interview at a fashion magazine, which was strike one.
Just because Andy didn’t fit the “model” look/lifestyle, doesn’t mean she’s underqualified. And, shouldn’t your boyfriend be pushing you to explore new things and job opportunities instead of making you feel as though you’re not good enough?
We get it–Miranda Priestly is hella hard to work for and she’s super needy. But, any 20-something who has tried to get into a brand new industry in any big city knows that in order to climb that ladder of success, you need to start at the bottom of the food chain. That means you will grab coffees, you will answer phones, and you will have to work when you’d rather do other things (like celebrate your boyfriend’s birthday).
You’re going to meet new people and go new places in order to network–the most important aspect of growing your career. Sure, there will be attractive men around you (especially in fashion), but that doesn’t mean your girlfriend is going to sleep around the industry. Jesus cut the woman some slack.
Andy was serious about her career as a writer and knew that if she could get a good recommendation out of THE Miranda Priestly, she could get a gig anywhere (spoiler alert: that’s how she does).
So, why the f**k is Nate such a wet blanket?
In all honesty, I truly believe after watching the film several times over that Nate is intimidated by Andy’s success. Nate is laid back, easy-going, and super chill–which, is nice. However, he wants Andy to stay in his indie-laid back lifestyle with him, almost trapping her into it. He starts acting like a major d*ck the minute she transforms into someone new.
Newsflash, Nate-y: people change.
Throughout our lives, we’re going to transform and grow–sometimes, for the better. Andy’s transformation may be a big “new” and mysterious for Nate, but in reality, she was becoming more assertive, more cut-throat, and a hell of a lot more successful. A good boyfriend doesn’t hold their girlfriend back from growing in a way that betters her life but supports her.
Instead, Nate was needy, annoying, and didn’t stop complaining about how much the “New Andy” was a drag. He insulted her new clothing, he made fun of her for enjoying her job, and he made her feel guilty about things she actually was excited about.
It sounds to me that Nate is unhappy with his own lack of success and is projecting it onto his girlfriend, who was clearly much more successful than he is at that point in time. Whenever a guy feels emasculated, for some reason *cough, cough, toxic masculinity* they take it out on the girlfriend who is doing better than they are.