When Lauren Weisberger took a job as an assistant at Vogue magazine straight out of college, little did she know it would lead to a bombshell book, a blockbuster film, and a new hit musical. But as the author reveals in a new interview, writing The Devil Wears Prada about her experiences working for legendary editor Anna Wintour ignited a firestorm of controversy that left her “traumatized.”
Surviving the “Foreign Culture” of Vogue
Fresh out of college in 1999, 22-year-old Weisberger landed an interview to be an assistant to Wintour. “I wasn’t into fashion, so Vogue was a completely foreign culture to me,” she recalls. To the horror of the chic Vogue staffers, she arrived with her writing samples in a sensible leather briefcase from her parents.
The job itself was a whirlwind of stress. “It was demanding and fast-paced and head-spinningly around-the-clock,” Weisberger says. “Every minute in that office felt like an emergency. I was just a kid. I went into survival mode.”
One day, Wintour took one look at Weisberger’s hair and, with a dismissive gesture, sent her to an upscale salon. “That’s where I still go. They are my hairstylists, and my dear friends, to this day,” the author notes wryly.
A Book She Wished She’d Never Written
After leaving Vogue, Weisberger turned her “crazy experience” into a novel she wrote for a class, never intending for it to go further. But when The Devil Wears Prada was published in 2003, it caused an uproar. Critics slammed Weisberger for “whining” about her job and not paying her dues.
“The response was essentially: who does she think she is? All this noise did wonderful things for book sales, but had I known what would happen, I would not have written the book.”
Lauren Weisberger
The backlash “left me traumatized,” Weisberger admits. “Powerful women, journalists who I respect to this day, were offended by it. Of course, from where I am now, I know the book has allowed me to do what I love more than anything, which is to spend my career writing. But at the time, if I had had the chance to take it all back, I would have like a shot.”
The “Unbelievable” Meryl Streep Effect
Everything changed when the film adaptation, starring Meryl Streep as icy editor Miranda Priestly, became a runaway hit in 2006. “Meryl elevated the Miranda Priestly character to another level with her genius,” Weisberger marvels. “She brought Miranda to life.”
So did Wintour herself ever react to her thinly-veiled portrayal? “I don’t think I’m even a blip on her radar,” Weisberger says. “But who knows. She’s an enigma.”
Tapping Into Timeless Themes
Beyond the juicy behind-the-scenes glimpse at Vogue, Weisberger believes The Devil Wears Prada resonated because “a lot of people connect with it as a story of a terrifying boss. We’ve all had an experience like that.” It was also, she notes, a product of its pre-#MeToo time, when the attitude was “shut your mouth, pay your dues, suck it up.”
Now, the story that caused Weisberger so much anguish is being reborn as a “joyful” West End musical with music by Elton John. As for whether Wintour might deign to attend? Weisberger laughs. “Who knows. She’s an enigma.”
