The Devil Wears Prada

The book-turned-movie gives the spectator an inside peek into the fast paced world of fashion in New York (and a smaller peek at fashion in Paris). Was it a peek I cared to take? Not really. I haven't read the book, but I have seen the movie. I wasn't too overly thrilled to see the movie and I proved to be right. It was exceedingly dull with a very, very thin plot. Anne Hathaway plays a journalist trying to pave her way to the New York Times or some "important" paper like that, so she takes an assistant job to the fashion magazine's editor-in-chief. Hathaway is about as fashionally inclined as Sandra Bullock was in the beginning of her hilarious comedy "Miss Congeniality".

The superficial world of fashion and anorexia soon draws Hathaway in and transforms her. The typical story of the ugly duckling turned swan that's been done so many times, it's not even funny. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good transformation just as much as anyone, but this movie treaded on a very fine line and crossed that line on a few occasions.

The movie jabs at girls who are larger than a size 4 and praises the superficiality of the fashion world. It's values are completely twisted and distorted. However, I do believe this was Hollywood's attempt to show the rest of the world just how distorted the fashion industry truly was. Regardless, it's a "D" movie that leaves you wondering where the past two hours of your life went.

Then why did I go? Well, you never know if you like something until you try it. At least that's true in most cases. I didn't want to see this movie when I saw it advertised. I wasn't willing to pay $8 to see a movie about fashion when as fashionally minded as Anne Hathaway's character in the beginning of the movie. I care more about a person's inside and their brains than their clothes and shoes. It's silly to me.

Again, why did I go? The answer is simple: my friend wanted me to.

Like Hathaway's character in the movie, we are often persuaded to do things that we really don't want to do just to please someone else. While I didn't care for the movie, I enjoyed spending time with my friend and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I haven't spent much time with this friend since I had been preoccupied with my wedding and honeymoon. Now that I've been married for just a little more than a month, I'm discovering that I've neglected a few things.

My friends have always been very important to me, as they should be. However, my husband is the 2nd most important person in my life, 2nd only to God. I have to think of my marriage first. I've been blessed with a terrific husband who wants me to spend time with my friends as much as I do. He understands how important my friends are and how I strive to maintain my friendships with them.

When my friend mentioned going to see this movie, I didn't hesitate. No, I didn't really want to see it, but I did want to see my friend. Friendship demands several things from both parties and sacrifice is one of them. I have no doubts that my friend will, and has, done the same thing for me a time or two.

In 1 Samuel 20, I read about David and Jonathan. One of the most vivid pictures of friendship ever recorded. King Saul, Jonathan's father, feels threatened by David and sees no other way than to have David killed. Of course he knows that his son and David are friends, so he keeps his plot to kill David a secret from Jonathan. David, terrified and confused as to why Saul would want to kill him, runs to Jonathan and confides in him. How do you think Jonathan took the news that his father was trying to kill his best friend? How would you take it?

Jonathan denied it and refused to believe that his father would do that. David, being wise and cautious, devised a plan to show Jonathan the truth about his father. When Jonathan followed through with the plan and discovered the truth, he was deeply grieved and promised help David in any way he could.

While my sacrifice was significantly smaller than Jonathan's, the result is the same: maintaining friendship. The Bible says that Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. Jonathan was willing to do whatever was necessary to save his friend's life. Even going against his own father.

Are we willing to do that? Do we have a friend that we love just as much as we love ourselves? I have a few and while I have not been asked to offer the same sacrifice as Jonathan gave, I pray that I will be able to if the need ever arises. Until then, I will continue with my current sacrifice: The Devil Wears Prada