There have been plenty of films made about working in journalism over the years. However, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is perhaps the first time that watching one cut a little close to the bone. Gone are the claw clips and cardigans, the deranged undercover “assignments” and columnists who can somehow afford apartments in Manhattan with walk-in wardrobes. In their place: a rather bleak portrait of a media industry constantly in flux. There’s a reason my phone has been lighting up with WhatsApps from fellow journalists saying things like: “The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a horror film.”
But, look, this is primarily entertainment, and while elements of the film ring true—the focus on digital traffic, the bustling open-plan office—there’s also much that doesn’t feel particularly reflective of real life (if it was, it would mostly involve someone crouched over a desk typing into a Google Doc, and that wouldn’t make for very interesting viewing). To that end, here’s everything The Devil Wears Prada 2 gets wrong—and sometimes right!—about being a lifestyle journalist in 2026.
Right: The office
The Runway office in The Devil Wear’s Prada 2 is fairly sleek—all blond wood, endless glass and framed images of past covers. This is, for the most part, quite faithful to the office I personally work in; even down to the gorgeous city view. Though, looking around, there’s a lot more clutter on desks: wonky piles of books, skincare products, supplements and [*peers closer*] is that a tinned espresso martini? Note to self: tidy desk at least once a week. Oh, and most editors don’t actually have their very own office.
Wrong: All that dilly-dallying
How Andy has time to attend parties, go on dates, view apartments and spend a weekend in the Hamptons with barely a glance at her notifications—or in fact to just blithely chat her way around the office with zero urgency—I do not know. Why isn’t she writing and commissioning? Where are her features team? Why isn’t she getting more involved in pitch meetings? Why has she only come up with one idea for the weeks ahead and not, like, multiple? While it wouldn’t be much fun to watch 90 minutes of someone frantically typing copy while also conversing over Slack, the film would be much more true to life.
Right: Lay-offs
For as long as I’ve worked in journalism (around—gulp—a decade now), lay-offs have been a depressingly familiar aspect of the landscape, regardless of the company you work for. What feels far less accurate? The notion of responding by turning up to your boss’s home unannounced, walking up her stairs after her husband has reluctantly let you in, and pleading with her to save the features team.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: vogue.in
