The Vilification of the Female Boss

I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" yesterday for about the 100th time. Yes, I admit it. I'm a Meryl Streep junkie. I love every movie I've seen with her. I this she deserved the Oscar every one of the 14 times she's been nominated. Blah, blah, blah. She's the greatest. We all know it. Let's move on.

The thing out the latest movie, which I'll refer to here on in as TDWP: Meryl makes a hell of a case in favor of the boss from hell. The more I watch TDWP, the more I become infuriated with the script/plot and the less I think of the book that inspired the movie.

Okay, anyone who can make $4million plus from their first assistant job out of college deserves every penny. I also know enough about the realities of the publishing world to know someone like Weisburger, that is, someone who knew at least one or two agents, could get a book like TDWP published in a second. I can also imagine why it would sell like hotcakes. Hey, I can, when I have to, be a realist.

That said, it's true that the boss from hell gets more slack from their employees if they happen to have a penis. Think about it. What exactly does Miranda Priestly do to her poor old assistant? Ok, she's not very nice. She flings her coat and bag onto the assistant's desk. She makes snide comments here and there. She demands hot coffee, errands run, and keeps her assistant on call virtually 24/7. Oh, wait a minute, did I miss something? In the film as well as the book, as much as the character in real life, Andrea Sachs (Andie) is working for an internationally renound magazine. One that required probably millions of dollars to make every year. One that is a "beacon" for the fashion industry, which does indeed generate millions of dollars and countless jobs. A huge portion of the responsibility for jobs and money rest on the shoulders of the very well dressed Miranda Priestly/Anna Wintour. And the assistant, someone fresh out of college, complains about getting coffee?

Let's face it, running any business - and I run my tiny writing biz from home - takes a lot of time. When you're a woman and a business owner or manager, if a large number of bucks stop with you, do you somehow not have to wear the other hats...mother, wife, housekeeper? If I'm missing something? If there's a way to make my laundry pile magically disappear, without me having to go down to the washer and start the cycle, empty the washer, fill the dryer. If there's a way to keep my son happy without hiring a 24/7 nanny, someone please let me know. And my husband. That's a slightly more delicate matter, but how about a body double to fill in when my list of errands is out of control?

I didn't think so.

What exactly is the problem, then, with someone like Anna Wintour, fictionalized as Miranda Priestly, sending her assistants to get coffee, pick up the dog, get Harry Potter manuscripts to keep the kids happy, etc?

More importantly, why is it generally ok for men to be demanding in the workplace?

I think the sexual revolution came and went. We women won the battle but ultimately lost the war. More power to women like Anna Wintour. You go girl!