Research area: Labor Law; Fashion Law.
Introduction:
Cinema, as a form of large-scale cultural narrative, is not limited to showing labor relations, but rather constructs, in a symbolic way, a means of influencing how people understand what is acceptable to demand of a worker in exchange for recognition, status, or professional fulfillment. The film The Devil Wears Prada (2006), directed by David Frankel and based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, is a clear example of this symbolic construction. The film takes place in the world of fashion journalism in New York and follows the journey of Andrea Sachs, a young journalist who accepts the role of assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of a fictional fashion magazine. The character is subjected to repeated humiliations and demands that go far beyond what would be expected for the position, all justified with the phrase: “It’s the job a million girls would kill for.”
This phrase, which gives its name to the present work, reveals an ideological mechanism common in creative sectors: the idea that the scarcity of “glamorous” positions serves to justify the violation of basic labor rights. The legal subordination, a central aspect of the employment relationship set out in Article 3 of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT), is here amplified and even romanticized.
What is seen in the film is not limited to fiction. The “professional dream” often hides a logic of exploitation disguised as opportunity. Working out of so-called “passion” sometimes becomes a disguise for work without rights, without guarantees, without set hours, without vacation. And the culture of the “dream” job ends up being an instrument of control, while at the same time fueling the illusion that if you endure the strain, you will be recognized. But recognition often comes at too high a price.
This work analyzes, based on the plot of The Devil Wears Prada, how the narrative romanticizes working conditions incompatible with human dignity (art. 1, III, CF/88) and the social value of work (art. 1, IV, CF/88), raising criticism about the cultural normalization of precariousness under the discourse of excellence and prestige, mentioning authors whose work covers hustle culture (which can be compared to the romanticization of exhaustion).
Keywords: Labor Law; Precariousness; Glamourization of work.
Research problem:
How does the cinematic narrative of The Devil Wears Prada make jobs that do not respect fundamental labor rights attractive and normalized, and what role does this cultural representation play in the social acceptance of job precariousness in sectors of high symbolic prestige?
Objective:
To analyze, from the perspective of Brazilian Labor Law and socio-legal literature on labor precariousness, the work practices portrayed in the film The Devil Wears Prada, to identify rights violations and discuss how the discourse of the “dream job” legitimizes precariousness in professions of significant social status.
Research method:
This is an exploratory, qualitative study with a deductive approach. The technical procedures included bibliographic research and thematic analysis of the work. The main focus was on scenes that highlight working hours, subordination, permanent availability, and hierarchical treatment.
Results achieved:
The analysis of the relationship between Andrea Sachs and Miranda Priestly clearly illustrates the elements of the employment relationship set out in Article 3 of the CLT, namely: personal service, non-occasional nature, remuneration, and subordination. At the same time, this relationship goes beyond the legal limits established for subordination. According to Maurício Godinho Delgado, “the legal situation arising from the employment contract, whereby the employee agrees to accept the employer’s managerial power over how their services are performed”.[1] This does not mean total submission or availability of the worker’s personal life.
In the film, the main character subjects herself to answering calls and resolving demands at any moment, even at the expense of her own interests and personal needs. This constitutes unpaid working hours and constant availability, something prohibited under Articles 58 and 66 of the CLT. Fiction, however, presents these demands as a sign of commitment, showing how precariousness can be normalized — something that, in reality, should be considered unacceptable.
Furthermore, there is a hierarchical treatment that is humiliating for one of the protagonists, the employee, who experiences clear situations that constitute moral harassment. This repeated and abusive conduct affects the worker’s dignity. In Brazil, this can give rise to moral damages (as provided for in the CLT itself, as well as in art. 5, X, of the Constitution, and articles 186 and 927 of the Civil Code) and even termination of the contract (art. 483 of the CLT). Richard Sennett states that the new capitalism brings “a condition of continuous self-reinvention and permanent anxiety”[2], so that pressure for unlimited performance ceases to be seen as oppression and comes to be regarded as a standard of excellence.
With the 2017 labor reform, the situation worsened. The relaxation of rules such as the hour bank and intermittent work created more room for unequal negotiations between employee and employer. In the film, this asymmetry is exaggerated, but it serves to reflect realities in sectors such as fashion and large corporations. The social value of work is one of the pillars of the Republic (art. 1, IV, CF/88), and should not serve as a justification for suppressing rights. Labor law’s function is to improve the terms of negotiation of the labor force within the socioeconomic order, and the legitimization of precariousness, even through success stories, must be combated. This also includes entertainment narratives that normalize this type of situation.
Finally, drawing on the work of Byung-Chul Han, one can see that modern society has shifted exploitation from a model based on coercion to a model of self-exploitation, in which the individual feels free even while being exploited, as the author shows:
The work society and the achievement society are not a free society. They generate new forms of coercion. […] we end up exploiting ourselves. As a result, exploitation becomes possible even without a master.[3]
In Andrea Sachs’s journey, this logic takes on image and movement: she accepts Miranda Priestly’s demands not out of coercion, but because she believes it is the price of success. In light of this narrative, it is up to Labor Law to reaffirm its protective function and prevent the prestige attributed to work from legitimizing the suppression of rights.
References:
BRAZIL. Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988. Brasília, DF: Presidência da República, 1988. Available at: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm Accessed on: Aug. 28, 2026.
BRAZIL. Decree-Law No. 5,452, of May 1, 1943. Consolidation of Labor Laws. Rio de Janeiro: Presidência da República, 1943. Available at: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/decreto-lei/del5452compilado.htm Accessed on: Aug. 28, 2026.
BRAZIL. Law No. 13,467, of July 13, 2017. Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). Brasília, DF: Presidência da República, 2017. https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2017/lei/l13467.htm Accessed on Aug. 28, 2026.
DELGADO, Maurício Godinho. Course on Labor Law. 21st ed. São Paulo: LTr, 2022.
HAN, Byung-Chul. The Burnout Society. Translated by Enio Paulo Giachini. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes, 2015.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Directed by David Frankel. Produced by Wendy Finerman. United States: 20th Century Fox, 2006. 1 DVD (109 min).
SENNETT, Richard. The Corrosion of Character: the personal consequences of work in the new capitalism. Translated by Marcos Santarrita. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2019.
WEISBERGER, Lauren. The Devil Wears Prada. Translated by Ryta Vinagre. Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, 2003.
[1]DELGADO, Maurício Godinho. Course on Labor Law. 21. ed. São Paulo: LTr, 2022, p. 78
[2]SENNETT, The Corrosion of Character, p. 111-112
[3]HAN, Byung-Chul. The Burnout Society. Translated by Enio Paulo Giachini. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes, 2015. Chap. 4, “Vita activa”, p. 25.
Author: Fernanda Mafra Buratto
Fernanda Mafra Buratto is a final-year law student at the University of Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI), in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil. Passionate about Fashion Law and International Law, she closely follows publications, platforms, and discussions on the legal side of the fashion industry. Her research explores the intersection of labor law and fashion, and she is eager to study and research every area of Fashion Law, from legal issues involving major brands to copyright and intellectual property disputes. A lifelong enthusiast of languages and travel, Fernanda aims to take her work beyond Brazil and build an international career. She is currently seeking internship opportunities in Fashion Law, both in Brazil and abroad.
This is a research paper submitted to Fashion Law Journal by the author. It has not been peer-reviewed and is not an FLJ article. The views expressed are the author’s own, and the paper applies Brazilian labour law as an analytical framework to a work of fiction set in the United States. It does not give legal advice.
FASHION LAW JOURNAL INSIDER
Join designers, brand founders and fashion lawyers who get the biggest brand battles, IP fights and career moves in fashion law, straight to their inbox.
