Anne Hathaway Champions Healthier Models for Prada Sequel

Anne Hathaway turned a concerning observation at Milan Fashion Week into a powerful stand for healthier representation in Hollywood's latest blockbuster.

The Oscar-winning actress is reprising her role as journalist Andy Sachs in the long-awaited Devil Wears Prada sequel, nearly 20 years after the original film became a cultural phenomenon. This time around, the fashion industry rolled out the red carpet, inviting Hathaway and co-star Meryl Streep to attend actual runway shows in Milan.

But what Hathaway witnessed backstage troubled her deeply. Streep revealed in a recent Harper's Bazaar interview that both actresses were struck by how "alarmingly thin" the models appeared on the runways.

"I thought that all had been addressed years ago," Streep said, noting that the fashion industry's body image issues seemed far from resolved.

Rather than stay silent, Hathaway took immediate action. She went straight to the film's producers with a clear demand: the models featured in their fictional fashion show would not be "so skeletal."

The producers agreed. The Devil Wears Prada 2 will diverge from the real fashion world in this crucial way, choosing to show models with healthier body types instead of mimicking the industry's often harmful standards.

Why This Inspires

Hathaway's quick action demonstrates how celebrities can use their platform to create meaningful change, even in small but significant ways. By refusing to normalize dangerously thin body standards in a major Hollywood film, she's helping shift what audiences see as aspirational.

The move is particularly powerful given the original film's massive cultural influence on how people view the fashion industry. With the sequel likely to reach millions of viewers worldwide, choosing healthier representation could help reshape beauty standards for a new generation.

Streep summed it up perfectly: "She's a stand-up girl."

Sometimes the most important stands happen in the smallest moments, and Hathaway proved that speaking up can create ripples far beyond a single film set.