Final Podcast

The podcast discusses the movie "The Devil Wears Product" which revolves around Miranda Presley, a well-known figure in the fashion industry, and her assistant, Andy. The movie explores their evolving relationship, with Miranda challenging Andy and Andy learning about the fashion industry. The podcast hosts discuss the dynamics between the characters, the influence of Miranda as a boss, and the power dynamics in the workplace. They also touch on the importance of respect and fear in leadership. Towards the end of the movie, Miranda starts giving things to Andy, which is seen as a sign of recognition and trust. Welcome back everybody to What Are They Wearing. On this week's episode of the podcast, we're going to talk about the movie The Devil Wears Product. For those of you who don't know, we're going to give you a little introduction of ourselves. I'm Mia Anagnos. I'm Fiora Hart. I'm Margaret Hahn. I'm Hannah Rivera. And we are so excited that you tuned in this week to talk about this movie with us. So, for those of you who don't know what this movie is or have never heard of The Devil Wears Product, it's a movie about Miranda Presley, who is a well-known and respected individual in the fashion industry. Andy is her recent hired assistant, and she's an inspiring journalist, but the problem is she doesn't know much about the fashion industry. Andy, keep in mind, is also one of Miranda's tenth maybe assistants. Who knows? Andy was chosen for the job because she was different and was able to stand up to Miranda. Throughout the movie, we see Miranda challenge Andy with nearly impossible tasks while being very particular and harsh. Their relationship as a boss and assistant grows, and they both learn how to understand each other, work well together, and mitigate conflict. So, guys, what are your thoughts about this movie before we get into all the details? I loved all the drama in the movie, and I liked that it definitely kept you on your toes, and you never really knew what Miranda was going to do next. And her and Andy just had a very interesting relationship, and their dynamic was really fun to watch throughout the movie. I think it was very, very silly in like a girly pop way, in the most physical way of that term, I guess would be the way to say that. I definitely wouldn't want to be in Andy's shoes with a boss in that situation. I think we see a lot of bad leadership in her role, in Miranda's role. The other thing I would mention is that like this week we're going to focus more on Miranda Presley as a boss and as a manager. But I would say there is a little bit of a manager role in Emily just because of who she is as like a second assistant. And how like at the beginning she was having to be a little bit more in charge of Andy since Andy was so unknown and very like, I don't even know who Miranda Presley was. And just kind of figuring out the fashion industry at the beginning of the movie. Yeah, it's crazy to see how in the beginning she quite literally knew nothing about fashion. And I feel like Miranda was about to even tell her like, hey, what are you doing here? But although, yes, Miranda is the boss of the movie. I think one of my favorite parts is just like seeing Andy and her friend group all together. That dynamic was just so fun to watch them. But yeah, I would not want Miranda as a boss. She was scary. And it's crazy how many like thousands of people they kept saying would like want that job. And she like didn't even want that job and somehow like got it, even though she knew nothing about it. Yeah, so like humble about that. Andy was just like, yeah, I could care less. And when she comes to dinner with her friends, like a bunch of goodies and everyone's like, wait, I want this. So it's weird to see the transition of Andy of like, oh, no, I'm into fashion. Just kind of like how that changes who she is a person. I think it's very interesting to see how she ended up at the end of the movie when she finished working for Miranda. Because she still had the aspects that she got from working for her, especially with her interest in fashion and like what she had learned. But we don't see like necessarily all of the bad things she got from that. I think it was a very interesting. And Miranda definitely influenced her in a couple of ways. She definitely got more confident, too. But like as we see the movie go on, like push away people in her life or like didn't have time for things that she used to prioritize because she was doing that high taxing job, I guess. So I guess as we get more into this movie and kind of looking at everything, we know that Miranda is very popular and very well known in the fashion industry. And for literally everyone other than Andy. But like, why do you think people expect respect her as much as they do? Miranda has a lot of legitimate power. She's obviously she is the boss of so many people. But beyond that, she's also like an expert in her position. She clearly knows everything that she needs to to be able to run runway and do what she does and tell different people. Like because she was working with a designer at one point and she told him she shook her head and then he completely redid the collection because of how much she knows about the industry. She also knows how like looked up to she is because, as I said before, in that example, she was just shaking her head and they just knew that she was done. And for most people, they would have to comment on that. And she didn't have to. Yeah. I have to say, she's definitely like she is a prime example of expert power because people respected her so much because of the fact that she was so well known in this movie. She was so talented, too. But I will say a lot of times I feel like she was kind of leading her, like the people who worked below her, like installing fear. And I'm like, you see, like in one of the very beginning scenes of the movie that everyone's like, oh, my gosh, she's coming. She's coming. Everyone likes you got to get your stuff together. You got to start working. But. We definitely see a course of power here. And he was definitely kind of scared of Miranda at first. And I mean, she didn't really know her coming in. So I don't think she had that previous knowledge of her and that fear. But like once Miranda started asking her some really difficult tasks and wanted her to do some hard things and really had high expectations for her, I think he got scared because she didn't want to be fired. And this was a job that she knew she needed to then get on to her career, which she really wanted to be a journalist. And so she knew if she wasn't up to par and wouldn't meet the standards that she would probably be fired. And so one of the examples was like getting the newest Harry Potter book for Miranda's kids. And obviously, at the time, this was unpublished. And so Andy had to go all throughout the city and use her connections to get the newest, latest draft of Harry Potter for her kids by the end of the day. And so as Andy gets to know Miranda more, we see that Andy is doing less out of fear and more that she genuinely wants to help Miranda succeed. And because they were building this friendship, I think that at the end of the movie, when Andy gave Miranda a heads up that she might be replaced, it was like genuinely because she was looking out for her and less about because she feared her and her role at the magazine. Their whole relationship and dynamics is like it just completely changes from the beginning of the movie to the end. I think it's really interesting that you bring up how she made those connections because she made them through Miranda. And even though she was working for her out of fear with the Harry Potter book, she called for a connection that she knew that connection that she made through Miranda is the reason she didn't end up getting fired. So I think that's like a really interesting how I get churned. Yeah, I think she definitely learned how to work smarter, not harder, be more efficient. And she kind of knew the curveballs Miranda was going to throw at her as time went on and how to handle those. And so I definitely think she kind of stepped up her game in terms of how to handle those situations and stand up to Miranda. Sure. So looking at Miranda's like how she worked, do you think it's better to be feared or respected as a leader? I think there should be a little bit of both. I think the fear should be more of a healthy type of fear, like not scared of your boss, but like fearing them in terms of respecting them and wanting to do your very best to help them succeed and to push yourself as well. And so I think that Andy definitely did this because she truly did respect Miranda at the end. But she also really understood the responsibilities and consequences, consequences that Miranda gave her. I agree. I definitely believe that you should be as a leader, like there should be a little bit of fear, because I think as a leader, you're a lot of the time when you're above people, they're going to be nervous talking to you just because they know who you are. But they're also going to respect you. And if you respect them back, it just it helps the relationship, I think, overall. But looking more of like knowing that like Miranda, I think she really uses more of the side of like coercive power instead of using war power. But like things do change as the movie goes on. But like towards the end of the relationship, Miranda begins to give things to Andy. And I was wondering, like, why is this? I feel that just like towards the end of the movie, like Andy has proven herself to Miranda. And he's gone above and beyond to get Miranda things like prime example, like Harry Potter, which they weren't even out yet. She somehow miraculously was able to get them. And I think one of like the big turning points in the relationship and in the movie was the scene where Miranda says to Andy that she wants her to go to Paris. Miranda wants Andy to go to Paris with her. And in Paris specifically, there is one scene where they're both back in the hotel room and Miranda just lets her guard down completely. And this is like the first time in the entire movie where we've seen an emotional side of Miranda. And during this part, she's explaining to Andy that she will no longer need a certain spot at her table because she and her husband are getting a divorce. And like I said, this is the first time throughout the entire movie that Miranda is being vulnerable. And in a way, even though it is a traumatic situation for Miranda, I feel like it's bringing the two of them closer together because it is a special moment for them. And this way, Andy's seen her boss in much more than just like a boss figure, like leader figure. She's seen her as like someone who like is emotional and is more like personable and on like the same level with each other. Which I feel like in the end, it kind of just heightens and like makes their relationship a lot more special because they do – they went through a lot together. Like Miranda was vulnerable with Andy in this moment and they were able to have this moment with each other. And also, just going back to the entire Paris scene, that is just such a prime example of reward power because even from the very beginning, Miranda's old assistant, Emily, was dying to go to Paris. And she was so set on it and it was maybe like a couple days before Paris, Miranda's like, oh, Andy, you're coming with me to Paris. You have to tell Emily. And this trip was a big step in Andy's career and it allowed like for the dynamic to change because we see that they just went through a lot of stuff together on this trip that they wouldn't have back home. And it was definitely a major turning point. Yeah, it's kind of crazy to see how the whole movie like Miranda doesn't let her guard down. And I think that's what makes her like so strong and her leadership style just like so prevalent in her roles because like she doesn't let anyone see like her personal side and she's just like all business all the time. But it was cool how they like connected in that moment and it gave some like more humanistic characteristics to Miranda because she's usually like very just like cut and dry and strict. But going off of that, also towards the end of the movie, we see the relationship between Miranda and Andy switching up and Andy seems to be caring a lot for Miranda and a little bit of vice versa. So where do we see Andy's motivation in that? I think towards the beginning of the movie, we see a lot of Andy's motivation for the job in general coming from the punishment that Miranda is giving. Because even though she's not maybe specifically doing specific things to her, she definitely talks in a way to Andy as she messes things up that you can notice is very, I don't want to say degenerating, but it's almost there. It's definitely on the line of being. Yes, you wouldn't expect that from a boss ever. She's like constantly criticizing her and making sure she knew how wrong she was. And I think at one scene, I believe she was guilt tripping her so badly that Andy ran crying to Nigel, right? Yes. And I think you really shouldn't have that in a workplace, in my opinion. As that was happening, I think we've seen her start to try and do better. And that's where a lot of her motivation came from. And then as she became more and more into her role, we see Miranda become more, I don't want to say giving necessarily, but she did do a lot of extra sync rewards. But instead of giving, it was more like, oh, I don't want this, so you can have it. Remember the scene where Andy's meeting up with all of her friends later on, and she just has a bag full of goodies. And her one friend is over the moon excited about the one more Jacob's Purse, which I mean, I'd be excited to get a purse. But going off that, I feel like at the beginning, Andy just didn't care because she just wasn't aware of Miranda in the magazine. But I think she got more grateful for the opportunity as it went on. All her friends were more jealous. And I think as she got closer with Miranda, she really appreciated the opportunity more and liked it more, too. Yeah, especially in the beginning, she's kind of like, oh, well, who in the world is Miranda Presley? She could not care at all. And everyone is just like, well, there are millions of other people that would love to have your job right now. But she definitely, like, there was a switch in her mind where she was like, oh, I actually do like this job, and I want to be a part of this. I think the other thing is when you were talking about when she goes to crying to Nigel, I feel like for Andy, that's kind of a turning point. Just because that's kind of the moment of like, oh, I should probably care about fashion if I'm going to want to keep my job. Like, that's kind of where you see, because it's not the scene where, like, she has the entire, like. Yeah, the makeover. Yes. You know, I like, I don't know, I don't agree with Miranda's leadership style at the beginning, clearly. But I definitely think it might have been what Andy needed to get to where she was at the end. Yes. In a way, like, if it weren't for Miranda's, like, style and everything, yes, Miranda was very strict and a very strict boss. I would not want her to be my boss. She was really helpful, but Andy would not be where she was at the end if it weren't for Miranda. So Miranda definitely had some influence tactics, but I think we've already kind of, like, answered this, like, what was, like, the influence tactics that did. I mean, we definitely see the respect and fear Miranda gets from people just because of how she acts and how she chooses to lead. But we also see, like, a lot of people start to lose, like, hope as the movie goes on. Like, Nigel, with the award towards the end of the movie, you could see it in, like, his face and how he reacted to it. He was just like, yeah, I mean, she'll get me back eventually. And I think that happens even, like, outside of her work because of how dedicated she is to her work and her leadership style. Like, her husband was just, he was done with forgiving no time to him. So for this situation specifically, I'd say the influence tactic wasn't as effective as it could have been. If she cared more about the employees of her relationship, I think it could have been extremely effective, though. I think we could have seen a lot of people become better at what they're doing and be very happy with their work life balance. For sure. It would have changed the environment of the entire office. Like, people would not be as weird as they were in the very first scene. Which leads us into a great segue for leadership and a little bit more about task-oriented leadership. We see Miranda, like, being very strict in the office and, you know, strict on her schedule and what she needs to get done and passionate about this season and how she's influencing next season. And so task-oriented leadership is definitely, like, a big part of who she is. Do you think it's better to focus on the work or the people around you? And how does Miranda use her focus within this? Well, in this movie, we just see that Miranda lives and breathes her job. Like, that is her only focus. She does not really care about anything else besides the fashion industry. And she just wants everyone to get everything done, which it does make sense in a way because she is an expert in her field. Like, people respect her so much because of all the knowledge that she has and, like, everything that she's gone through. But in my personal opinion, I feel like although, yes, your job is very important, you do need to have a good work-life balance just so that you can enjoy your life outside of work. Like, Miranda in Paris, she really had no one to be with her because her and her husband were just experiencing a divorce because they didn't see each other at all. And I feel that it's really important because you have to have a good group of people around you to help and support, love and care for you. You don't – in a way, like, what's the point? Because you need to have, like, your support group there, like, to celebrate your highs, celebrate your lows. And I think it's just really important to have a good work-life balance just so you're able to enjoy life and you can avoid having to escape from work because work sometimes can be, like, so tiring and so demanding that sometimes you're like, I need to close the door of, like, the workroom and I need to just go somewhere else where you can breathe, do whatever you need to do. What do you guys think about that? I think it's especially important because she has grandchildren. And, like, being in their lives is very, very important because otherwise they'll never really know her beyond her brand. And I think it – there's more to a person than what they do. Yeah. I agree with that. Like, she's definitely finding her identity in, like, what she does and, like, that's her whole being. That's what people look for us. And I totally agree with you, Mia. You need a support system and you need to have a life outside of work. And I don't think she really has had that because she's just always looking for the next thing and where she can achieve and where she can be influential and lead others. And so, yeah, it was kind of sad when they, like, showed her family for, like, a brief second or, like, when she was going through the divorce with her husband and even that, like, she opened up, but it wasn't, like – like, she still was pretty, like, emotionless with it, too. And, like, I just don't think she knows how to, like, feel those emotions because she's always, like, told just to, like, stick to work or she tells herself that just to, like, get tasks done. I would say for Miranda, she's great with task-oriented leadership, but I think, like, with any leadership, there needs to be a balance. Like, you can't be focused on one style, and I think that's kind of what her issue is. I mean, there are other leadership behaviors she shows, but they're not all positive. So I think as a leader, she could add more of, like, that people-oriented leadership, which is more of, like, focus – well, not completely focusing on people, but wanting to have a relationship with the people you work with so that, like, if things are tough or if it's a tough fashion season, she could say, hey, let's all go get a drink. Let's just relax, unwind, not think about the workday. Let's think about something else and just kind of find a little bit of that work-life balance, even if it is ending up with more of, like, the people she works with because she kind of – you know, like, she even says, like, that was husband number two. So it just – yeah, her family life could be also better, but that's a whole other discussion. The best way it's ever been described to me is that you can't be on all the time. You have to take breaks for yourself, and I think we see throughout the movie that Miranda really doesn't. Her whole life is Runway. And, I mean, like, the way she acts obviously affects the people in Runway. You kind of touched on that earlier, Mia. How do you think her influence, like, affects the overall culture and behaviors at Runway? Well, I think, like, just, like, her influence, like, we see from the moment the movie starts, they're all, like, rushing because I think Emily tells someone, like, oh, like, she's answering the phone and someone's, like, Miranda's coming. Like, there was automatically fear in all the workers' faces and all their emotions. Like, they were just so scared because Miranda is so strict. And I think also, like, one of the main pieces is that because Miranda is a scary boss, people worked so hard so they wouldn't get yelled at by her because Miranda, she's a tough boss. Like, she knows what she wants. She can get it done one way or another. Like, she doesn't care whose side you're on. She just wants to, like, Runway to be good and, yeah. But I feel like this all just goes back to, like, her being an expert. Like, she would not be where she was today if she wasn't an expert and also, like, if she wasn't as cutthroat as she is. But everyone was also still around because they knew how talented she was and all the connections she had. People did want to follow in her footsteps. Like, just going back to the fact that they all knew that there would be millions of other people in line that would want Andy's job if Andy didn't want it. And she could be replaced instantly. Miranda knows what she wants. She can get it done one way or another. It's amazing how she's not, like, burnt out. Like, I think I would just be so tired of, like, trying. And you can tell that all her employees and people who follow her, like, really want to try and push because they, you know, look up to her and respect her leadership, even though they're scared of her because they want to get to the point where she's at. And so this also leads into, like, transactional leadership behavior, too, because she's, like, gone through so many assistants and there is such a high turnover and burnout within the office because of her leadership style and because of what she's doing and the consequences and punishments that she kind of instills on people. And so when it comes to this transactional leadership behavior, did Miranda display more contingent reward behavior or contingent punishment behavior? I think with Miranda, like, throughout the movie, I think she relies more on that contingent punishment behavior. I think we all agree on that, you would say, for sure. So I would say, like, throughout the movie, and we've touched on this a little bit, but here's kind of the background of the story that we've touched on with about the unpublished Harry Potter book for the twins, is that in the movie, Andy was given what is called the book, which is a really important, like, fashion magazine or just documents of the different designs that they were hopefully going to move forward with. And basically, Miranda takes this book and writes all the notes that she needs to. And so she was told to just drop it off downstairs and to never go upstairs. But Andy did end up going upstairs. I think she was tricked by Miranda's twins. And so she goes upstairs. She sees something she shouldn't be seeing. And so she then puts the book down and basically races out of the building. But then the next day at work, she's basically humiliated as Miranda basically completely punishes her and says, you won't have a job if you don't get this manuscript to my twins before they leave for wherever they're going on a train. And so I think that's kind of probably the best example we see with the punishment behavior. But I don't know what else you guys think. I think definitely. It's kind of funny, though, because, like, Miranda tried punishing Andy, and Andy's kind of – Andy, like, looked at her and was like, well, I actually am good at my job and I am going to stay here. So here's the unpublished Harry Potter book. And I want to say, wasn't the person who was in charge of the unpublished Harry Potter books, like, he then came later on to the picture and, like, I want to say offered Andy a job because of what she did and her determination. Yeah, he definitely pursued her, maybe more in a romantic way, but also, like, in a career way, too, because he saw how hard she was working. And I think, like, when Miranda did make threats like that, like how we've seen Andy grow throughout the movie, I think that just motivated her even more to, like, get the tasks done and to show Miranda that she could do it. Yeah, I fully agree with that. And I also think, if I remember correctly, because he got the Harry Potter book for her because he worked in publishing, and how he reacted to her and how he reacted to, like, her drive that she had gotten from working at Runway was very powerful. Like, he immediately was like, you would make a good hire. And I think Miranda's, like, tactics, though they might not be the best, were a really good way to get her to where she was. Definitely. For sure. So finishing up this section on leadership, at the end of the movie, we see a board meeting take place. And who makes that final decision? Can you give us a little context into the end of the movie? I think Miranda makes the final decision in anything in this movie, beyond the board meeting. It's kind of always her word. I think you guys would agree with me on that. Yes. 1000%. Yeah. She is constantly, like, no matter who else has an opinion, if she doesn't care for the opinion, it's just gone. And I know we have talked about, like, she's very on the decide part of participatory behavior. She doesn't care much about other people's opinions. And I think that leads to a lot of conflict that we see within the movie. So when it comes to conflict in this movie, I feel like there's a lot of different aspects of conflict. And we just see a lot of things, like, happening, just like with Miranda and Andy and, like, different characters in the movie. And I want to – there was a lot of problems associated with the design or, like, the latest issue in the magazine. And I think a lot of this came from just, like, communication problems. I think a lot of, like, goal incompatibility, too, because Miranda definitely had her sights on some things different than, like, Nigel had or that some other people on her team had. And, like, we said before, like, she was the driving force. And so it was always, like, her way or that way. And people really never got to share their opinions. And they kind of were just, like, forced to do what she wanted to do. And so people were really trying to just, like, prove themselves and do their best and, you know, show their opinion and give their feedback. But that wasn't something that Miranda was looking for. And so I think that's just another reason why it would be such a hard environment to work in and a leader to work for because of the way she acts like that. No, I think the other part of what you're saying is that, like, because of who she was, she had a lot of discretion with her job. So that just – she could make those decisions. And she didn't have to talk to someone else to make that decision because she was that expert and because she was that boss. We even see that, like, she's kind of irreplaceable. Like, she's not something you can have as, like, a substitute or, like, replace her easily. She's very aware of what her position is. Yes. And she makes it aware to other people, too. So do you guys think that Andy did the right thing by accepting to go to Paris with Miranda, even though it could ruin her relationship with Emily? I think with this situation, you kind of – Andy is very much, as you guys know, the saying, like, a rock and a hard place of, like, there's no way there's going to be a win-win. Because if she's saying no to Miranda, Miranda's not going to take that lightly, and she's most likely going to lose her job. So that's not a good situation either. But her asking Andy then also puts her in a really awkward position because then Andy is the one who has to then break the news to Emily, which then ruins the relationship with Emily. So I definitely would not want to be Andy in this situation. I don't think there's really a good way to – I think she had to accept – I think in the moment she felt like she had to accept going to Paris. And I think – I don't know. I don't know what I would do. But I'm just curious, like, what are your thoughts? Like, if you were Andy, what would you guys do? I think I would definitely – because, like, your boss is asking you to go to Paris. For one, hello, it's Paris. Two, you would just got to go. It's, like, your boss. And also, I will say, Andy wasn't – because she did make up for it to Emily afterwards. Like, oh, well, I have all these clothes from Paris. What am I going to do with it? So obviously Emily now feels a lot better about the situation. Yeah. I think, too, like, because Andy and Emily were, like, on the same level and they were, like, coworkers. Like, I don't think Andy would be, like, friends with Emily forever. But, like, because Miranda was so much higher than her and a lot more strict on her, like, that relationship mattered to her a lot more than, like, her and Emily. We were kind of competing for the same job together. No, I completely agree with you guys. I think the only thing I would say if I was in the situation, I might try to handle it a little more carefully with more maybe worry about my relationship with my coworker. Because she definitely could have introduced it to Emily beforehand instead of doing, like, backhand information. Like, last minute, oh, I'm going to Paris, and you got this taken away from you. But beyond that, there was really no – like, she didn't – she needed to go. It was the best opportunity for her. And Miranda was essentially like, you're going. You don't really have a choice. Moving from that, do we think Miranda was right to give Nigel's promotion away to save her position? I think with that, we can really look at, like, the contingency factors of conflict. So that's looking at issue importance, relationship importance, relative power, and time urgency. And we can definitely go more into this in a second. But I would think, no, she shouldn't have done that. She could have maybe found another way. Or she could have even compromised to where she finds a way to keep her job. But Nigel also gets to be happy and gets to go to the promotion considering, like, he's been with Miranda, I think they said, like, 18 years. And so I think at that point, like, he deserves to be able to be at the position that he was given. And overall, I think in the movie, I would say that she uses the force in conflict to take care of the situation. Because in the movie, we see that, like, she goes into basically into the room of the person who is giving away her job and sees the list of the people. And then she's able to make that decision and change things around to get what she wants. And so I think overall, like, looking at the contingency factors, what would you say is issue importance high, low, or medium? Pretty high, I would assume. I mean, it's not a great thing to deal with. No. And then I don't know how we want to look at this, but, like, relationship importance, what would you say that is? I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I would say it's high, especially between, like, Miranda and Nigel, because Nigel is one of her, like, head directors. And then relative power is definitely high. And then time urgency, I would maybe put that as a medium, because it doesn't feel like an urgent situation. But, yeah. Yeah, I would have to agree with you guys. Well, thank you all so much for tuning in to this week's What Are They Wearing? We'll see you all next week.