The Devil Wears Prada Is Back – And Oh, Those Fat Jokes Are Wearing Thin | Chloe Mac Donnell

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During nan two-month endurance trial that was The Devil Wears Prada 2’s world property tour, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway hinted that nan long-awaited sequel to nan 2006 deed would champion assemblage diversity. In interviews, some actors explained that while attending Milan manner week they were amazed by really “alarmingly bladed nan models were”. As a result, Hathaway made “a beeline to nan producers”, Streep said, to guarantee that “skeletal” models wouldn’t characteristic successful nan film. At 1 premiere, Hathaway said she “thought nan segment would beryllium truthful overmuch much enjoyable for nan assemblage if we had conscionable a wider scope of bodies connected display”.

Spoiler alert: only 15 minutes into nan sequel nan first weight gag lands, and it becomes clear that each nan chatter astir size inclusivity was, successful fact, conscionable elemental size-washing. That intends there’s conscionable capable for nan producers to tick nan inclusivity container – chiefly successful nan casting of nan comedian Caleb Hearon arsenic Miranda Priestly’s 2nd assistant, and a speedy glimpse of a mates of plus-size models including Ashley Graham successful a catwalk montage – but not capable for immoderate existent credibility. Then location are respective wisecracks astir weight, though remarkably only 1 reference to nan weight-loss supplier Ozempic. Now, that is groundbreaking!

The first movie arrived astatine nan tallness of noughties fare culture, erstwhile body-shaming was nan norm. This was an era erstwhile celebrities’ bodies were scrutinised connected nan beforehand of magazines, their cellulite circled and saggy knees mocked, while visible folds of soma led to a frenzy akin to a nationalist emergency.

Runway, nan film’s fictional luxury manner magazine, didn’t stoop this low, but The Devil Wears Prada leaned heavy into nan thought that everyone successful manner is obsessed pinch being thin. If nan one-liners astir manner (“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking”) were unforgettable, truthful excessively were nan quips geared astir weight. Who hasn’t thought of Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) and her statement “I’m conscionable 1 tummy flu distant from my extremity weight” during their ain bout of norovirus?

But past came a shift. The word “body positivity” began to infiltrate fashion. In 2017, Graham became nan first plus-size model to characteristic connected nan screen of Vogue. In 2020, Jill Kortleve walked successful a Chanel show, becoming nan first exemplary supra a UK size 8 to beryllium formed successful a decade. Then, successful different landmark infinitesimal for inclusivity, British Vogue put Kortleve alongside nan plus-size models Paloma Elsesser and Precious Lee on its April 2023 cover pinch nan header “The New Supers”.

However, only 2 years later, a exemplary agency laminitis warned that nan manufacture had “done a 360 turn” backmost to promoting thinness. In March 2026, a study by Vogue Business recovered that retired of nan 7,817 looks presented crossed 182 shows successful nan womenswear collections successful February and March, 97.6% were shown connected straight-size models who measured betwixt UK sizes 4 and 8. Only 0.3% were plus-size, besides known arsenic “curve” (UK 18+), while 2.1% were mid-size (UK 10-16). It’s not conscionable luxury catwalks. Progress connected nan precocious thoroughfare is besides being curtailed. Last year, a UK watchdog urged retailers to debar utilizing “irresponsible” images of unhealthily thin-looking models. Meanwhile, immoderate brands including H&M person removed dedicated plus-size sections from their stores and made nan ranges disposable online only.

All sorts of factors, from rightwing gender authorities to changing ideals of nan female body, person been flagged arsenic contributing to this reversal. But it’s nan wide usage of weight-loss narcotics that is simply a awesome catalyst. Originally developed to dainty diabetes, they person now been co-opted for weight loss, peculiarly successful Hollywood. The debut rumor of 72 mag by Edward Enninful – nan erstwhile British Vogue editor who put Kortleve et al connected nan screen – featured an unbranded GLP-1 medicine pen successful a beauty shoot. For galore connected nan reddish carpet, their assemblage alternatively than a designer outfit is nan caller position symbol. Monday night’s Met Gala is group to beryllium a fecund mounting for naked dressing due to its theme, “fashion is art”. The dress codification encourages guests to “express their ain narration to manner arsenic an embodied creation form”.

Against this backdrop, it’s bleak but not astonishing that 20 years aft nan first The Devil Wears Prada film, it’s nan sequel’s weight jokes that still move nan needle connected nan laughometer. It’s an meticulous reflection of conscionable really small advancement has been made off-screen. In an effort to jog nan representation of Miranda (Streep) astir who she is, Andy (Hathaway) resorts to describing herself arsenic her “former fat assistant”, a motion to nan first movie wherever Miranda called her nan “smart, fat girl”. For nan first domiciled Hathaway, a US size 4, wore a padded size-6 bum prosthetic until her character’s “size-6 ass” dropped to a size 4. This clip astir there’s nary need: Andy’s managed to support nan weight disconnected for 2 decades while besides becoming an award-winning journalist astatine a superior newspaper. Who says women can’t person it all?

Later successful nan sequel, Miranda gets confused astir nan word “body positivity”. Puffing retired her cheeks to accentuate chubbiness, she refers to it arsenic “body negative” because, “What is location to beryllium affirmative about?” What indeed?