There is something undeniably mesmerizing about horror stories from the publishing industry, and The Devil Wears Prada set a pretty high bar back when it was released in June 2006. Now, 10 years after the fact, the movie — which helped catapult Anne Hathaway into a new circle of fame — is still the standard for what it means to work under a truly terrifying tyrant. ( Horrible Bosses tried. But it didn't have Miranda Priestly to strike true fear into our hearts.)
Here's the thing, though. While we love The Devil Wears Prada, some things about the movie don't exactly map the realities of a publishing assistant's life — or anyone's life in New York City right after college, for that matter. We know, we know: It's a movie. But some bits and pieces are just so wildly wrong that we feel like it's time to set the record straight once and for all. To that end, we've collected some of the most egregious lies that The Devil Wears Prada told us. Of course, let the record show that we'll still be gleefully watching this film for years and years to come — and taking great pleasure in all its decadent truth-stretching.
Lie No. 1: You're going to find the perfect bohemian one-bedroom in New York City right after college.
There are plenty of sixtysomethings still searching for this fabled cozy fixer-upper. Sure, these apartments are real. But they aren't cheap. So either Andy and Nate were blessed by the real estate gods, or they killed the person who lived here and took the keys.
Image: 20th Century Fox.Lies No. 2 & 3: You could laugh at your super-uptight boss without getting in major trouble, and fashion always trickles from the top down.
I cringed the first time I watched this scene — and I have every time thereafter, because Andy has clearly committed such a huge faux pas when she giggles out of turn and makes light of fashion while employed at a fashion magazine. Get with the program, girl.
Furthermore, as The Cut's Stella Bugbee pointed out a couple years back: Miranda might be right about how trends make their way from runway to bargain bin. But she neglected to highlight how designers take inspiration from the trenches, a.k.a streetwear, and how it's less of a top-down inspiration cycle than one that loops back up from the bottom.
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Lie No. 4: Assistants get to borrow willy-nilly from the fashion closet.
HAHAHAHAHAH you're fired.
Image: 20th Century Fox.
Lie No. 5: Bangs fix everything.
Bangs: They don't fix everything. In fact, sometimes, they just make your forehead break out. (Not pictured here: potential resultant zit cluster.)
Image: 20th Century Fox.Lie No. 6: That this happens when the editor-in-chief comes into the office.
Seriously. Not even at Vogue.
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Lie No. 7: That assistants get to accompany their editors to fashion week and stay in the same fancy-schmancy hotel.
Sorry to say it, but this is typically not a thing. So if you've got the opportunity to head to Paris on your own terms before kicking off a new gig, we'd definitely say go for it — because it might be awhile.
Image: 20th Century Fox.
Lie No. 8: You should tolerate a partner who devalues your professional drive.
Make no mistake: Adrian seems like a major catch in this movie. But the caveat is that he's not exactly supportive of Andy's career — or what he thinks that career should look like. The truth is, in the early stages of a new job, what you really need from your partner is support, not a constant stream of commentary about how your objectively awesome and prestigious gig is changing you for the worse.
Our feelings on this are perhaps best summarized by Beyoncé lyrics: Tell him, boy, bye.
Image: 20th Century Fox.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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