Bibliographic details and abstracts are available to all. Downloads of full-text dissertations are restricted to University of Portsmouth members who must login. MPhils may be accessed by all.

Abstract

This dissertation explores how women in power are presented in the 2006 screenplay ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ through thematic and visual analysis. It discusses themes surrounding career women and how they are presented in Hollywood films. Additionally, it considers the cold bitch archetype and female empowerment. This research undertook a social constructionist perspective and utilised a feminist theoretical framework in order to understand how women in power are presented within the screenplay and what this tells us about the expectations of women in wider society. A combined approach was undertaken involving thematic analysis of the script and visual analysis of the screenplay. This helped to uncover semiotic meanings. The main themes discussed were the breakdown of Andy’s personal relationships. In addition to this, it highlighted how convincingly Miranda follows the conventions of the cold bitch archetype. Finally, it debates whether the screenplay can be classed as a female empowerment film. All the emerging themes were discussed in relation to what patriarchal norms they portray, both overtly and covertly, to audiences.

Course: Sociology - BSc (Hons) - C0315

Date Deposited: 2022-06-06

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13912.html