The Devil Wears Prada 2 exposes what women are really searching for

If I could rewrite my experience in the fashion industry, I’d do it more like The Devil Wears Prada 2. The fashion world is known for being cut-throat and vapid, and honestly, that was my experience too. I modelled in New York for some of the world’s top agencies and always hated the high-fashion end of things: the relentless criticism about my appearance, rude photographers, and strained conversations with models whose main frame of reference for the world seemed to be their mirror compact. If you’ve never lost a friendship over a booking or been put in your place by a man in sequined leggings, you might not understand.

What surprised me about the sequel to the mid-2000s cult classic was how much warmth it had, something I rarely encountered in the real industry. Some viewers may dislike it for that reason; it’s certainly not entirely true to life. But the sharp one-liners, laugh-out-loud moments and unexpected tenderness made the film feel like everything the fashion world often isn’t.

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The Power of Words

Anyone who’s worked in fashion can tell you there’s no shortage of criticism to go around. One of the comments I remember most was hearing, “Black girls just don’t work every day.” Early in the film, we see how words can either build people up or tear them down.

Meryl Streep’s Miranda, softened slightly by age and setbacks, tells a shell-shocked Andy: “All I have to do is bide my time until you fail, and you will fail.” Whether true or not, the words send a chill down Andy’s spine. Later, Miranda tells Emily Blunt’s character, “You don’t have what it takes. I’m sorry, you’re not a visionary, you’re a vendor.” Emily’s identity visibly crumbles under the weight of those words.

By contrast, Andy’s encouragement, “You are iconic”, becomes life-giving. It’s a reminder that our words shape people more deeply than we realise. That lesson applies far beyond fashion.

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The Importance of Relationships

I don’t have any close friendships left from my modelling years, even though I spent nearly a decade in the industry. Fashion is built on personal branding, ambition and advancement, which can make relationships feel transactional. Yet one of the clearest lessons in the film is that relationships matter more than status. Again and again, we see how unexpected people quietly open doors behind the scenes. Andy’s career-saving interview depends entirely on a favour from someone she treated well.

The film subtly reminds us that no relationship is disposable. Treating people with dignity and kindness matters, not because of what they can do for us, but because people are valuable in themselves.

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Beauty Matters

The last thing I expected from The Devil Wears Prada 2 was a reflection on beauty as something sacred. Today, much of the fashion industry feels increasingly shaped by AI, algorithms and manufactured aesthetics, something I’m reminded of regularly through my husband’s work as a photographer.

For all her harshness, Miranda Priestly represents something important about the old guard of fashion: a genuine reverence for beauty that cannot simply be replicated by machines. My favourite “character” in the second half of the film was actually Italy itself, the splendour of Lake Como, the opulence of Milan, the breathtaking recreation of The Last Supper. The film reminded me that true beauty points beyond itself, carrying echoes of the Creator.

As long as people continue to hunger for authentic beauty, fashion will endure. At its best, beauty reflects something eternal, a gift from God Himself. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” James 1:17