The Devil Wears Prada 2 Perpetuates Harmful Weight Jokes Despite Claims of Body Diversity
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/chloe-mac-donnell. "The Devil Wears Prada is back – and oh, those fat jokes are wearing thin | Chloe Mac Donnell | The Guardian." May 2, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that the new Devil Wears Prada movie falsely advertised itself as body-positive but actually just includes a few plus-size actors while keeping all the fat jokes from the original. This reflects how the fashion world has backslid on body diversity despite earlier progress.
Conclusion
The Devil Wears Prada 2 engages in 'size-washing' by making superficial gestures toward body diversity while perpetuating harmful weight-based humor, reflecting the broader fashion industry's regression on body inclusivity
Premises
- The film's producers and stars publicly promoted the sequel as championing body diversity during the press tour
- Despite these claims, the film contains multiple weight-based jokes and gags within the first 15 minutes
- The actual representation consists of only one plus-size main character and brief appearances of plus-size models
- The fashion industry has regressed from body positivity progress made in the late 2010s, with 97.6% of runway looks still shown on straight-size models
- The widespread adoption of weight-loss drugs in Hollywood has contributed to renewed emphasis on thinness as a status symbol
- The film's humor around weight mirrors outdated 2000s diet culture attitudes rather than reflecting contemporary body positivity movements
Assumptions
- Media representation significantly influences societal attitudes toward body image
- Authentic body diversity requires substantial representation, not token inclusion
- The fashion industry has meaningful cultural influence on body standards
- Progress on body inclusivity should be measured by concrete representation rather than promotional rhetoric
- Weight-based humor is inherently harmful and outdated