Miranda Priestley is exceptionally good at her job as an editor. Her work garners the admiration and praise of her colleagues. Unfortunately, Miranda’s elevated status in the fashion industry allows her to cultivate an attitude of entitlement. She expects instant gratification for every whim. From her perspective, her assistants exist only to cater to her needs and take the blame for her mistakes. Miranda exhibits all the classic qualities associated with narcissistic personality disorder.

Andy comes close to a textbook definition of this psychological condition when she observes, “There were those she perceived as ‘above’ her and who must be impressed […] Then there were those ‘below’ her, who must be patronized and belittled so they don’t forget their place, which included basically everyone else” (293).

Miranda’s attitude is, of course, delusional. However, she manages to create a bubble of influence that insulates her from reality. The people who exist within her fashion sphere are so impressed by her accomplishments or fearful of her power that they abjectly support her sense of entitlement.

Aside from the novel’s exploration of Andy’s character growth, it also serves as a study of psychological pathology. As the narrator, Andy is obsessed with describing Miranda’s atrocities in painstaking detail.