Disney Loves Prada, Size 2 Please

The second go-around of “The Devil Wears Prada” had its New York premiere on April 21, with a re-creation of the costume department of the fictional Runway magazine.

There was the fabulous red ballgown the key figure, Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, wears in the film as she enters the Met Ball.

The asymmetrical ballgown as seen in the movie. (Courtesy, Devil Wears Prada 2 Instagram)

The first movie came out in 2006. released by 20th Century Fox. Meryl Streep is repeating the role of the demanding fashion magazine boss (modeled on Anna Wintour) thus the May cover of Vogue magazine.

Courtesy Devil Wears Prada Instagram=

Let us note the careful lighting and the placement of arms and use of shadows. Both women are 76 years old, and look fantastic. But Meryl Streep does not look as fantastic as Disney marketing people are used to seeing women in ballgowns, as Streep is portrayed on the poster for the movie. It is nominally being distributed by 20th Century Fox, but there is no question about where the marketing is coming from. Fox now belongs to Disney, and Disney is going all out, making deals with Walmart for clothes, with the International arrivals terminal at JFK for giant billboards, for pop ups at Disneyland PARIS.

Most of all, Disney has a specific way of visualizing the female form, especially in graphics, where all you need is a few swipes of a pen.. Think of Cinderella, Belle, Merida, Rapunzel, or even a mermaid like Ariel. There is no escaping the male gaze, which tends more toward Barbie than toward Reubens, The Disney female has big eyes, a tiny waist, nice shoulders and pretty breasts. So much so that the internet is full of “tier” lists of “smash or pass”/ “hot or not” for Disney females. And they are not including The Parent Trap.

Thus we come to Meryle Streep’s waist in the ads. Let’s be honest. The waist of any mature woman who has not been starved, corseted, was naturally thin or French is not going to be Disney size, say a third of the width of her shoulders.

And yet look at the advertising for The Devil Wears Prada 2. It seems that the graphics department cannot resist whittling away at a perfectly normal waist, and turning Meryl Streep into a cartoon character.

Courtesy Devil Wears Prada Instagram

Streep’s arms are thinner than Emily Blunt’s. She is the one in black and seems unaltered. Back to Meryl Streep’s waist. How do we know that Disney got a little CGI with it? Here is a photo of her with Stanley Tucci, who plays a snippy art director in the film. They are off camera, relaxed, no fancy lighting, not using good posture, or positioned to show off their best angles. Even the color of the dress looks more tomato than royal red.

Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep during a break in filming The Devil Wears Prada 2 last year on the steps of the Metropolitan Museeum. (Courtesy InStyle magazine)

Streep’s makeup is perfect. She is a handsome woman. Striking, of course. And her waist is a normal size in comparison to her shoulders. The advertising community is going to claim poetic license. It’s a poster! They needed a dramatic shape, something eye catching. You know what catches the eye: red and the shape of a woman, even one who is 76 years old. As long as she looks 15.

The difference between real Meryl Streep and the one in the ads may have driven Ms. Streep’s choice of attire for the premiere. Let Anne Hathaway, among the most beautiful actresses working today, wear a form-fitting red dress. Streep chose a more demure look, one where no one could compare her waist with that of the mannequin in the lobby.

The dark sunglasses were in keeping with her character, Miranda Priestly. The rest, not so much. (Courtesy Devil Wears Prada 2 Instagram)

Meryl Streep is not afraid to speak her mind. It’s possible her outfit is a statement to Disney: It’s my body, guys. You are not going to get another chance to alter it.  — LINDA LEE