A Story About How I Changed and How I Remained the Same After 20 Years
The Devil Wears Prada 2 has returned after 20 years. As I stared at the screen in the darkness of the movie theater, I suddenly wondered, 'How would my 20-year-old self have watched this movie?'
When I watched the first film in my youth, it was simply dazzling, without any sense of 'wanting to walk my own life on my own feet,' but it served as a push, showing me that 'this is how you work hard.'
Twenty years have passed since then. I have become a mother, and my way of working, my way of living, and my priorities have all changed. I have more things I want to protect, more things I have let go of, and I am always living while sharing my time with someone else.
The days spent acting for the sake of others will eventually come back to you
Watching Andy run around trying to save 'Runway' reminded me of the moments in my own career when I 'acted for the sake of someone else.'
Back then, there were days when I wasn't doing it for anyone in particular, but simply trying to accomplish 'what I could do at that moment.' Even if I was clumsy or took the long way around, there was a version of me that had accumulated my best efforts. Those small accumulations are what support me now.
Even if they don't lead to immediate results, there will be a moment somewhere in life when they help you.
And now that I am a mother, I believe that the sincerity I have accumulated will eventually connect to the world of my children.
Just as Nigel supported Andy from the shadows, sincerity goes around and reaches the next generation as well.
The 'sincere choices' we have made as working mothers will become a guide for our children when they grow up, allowing them to think, 'It is okay to live like this.'
The kindness we show to someone today, and the efforts we quietly accumulate, will gently become a light somewhere in our children's future.
Not suppressing your emotions is also a strength as a person
The scene where Andy and Emily reconcile. That was a scene that struck deep, not just for working women, but as a working professional as well.
When you are working, you sometimes put pressure on yourself, thinking, 'I have to be strong' or 'I shouldn't show my emotions.'
But, I am reminded that expressing your feelings honestly is not a weakness, but a power that nurtures relationships.
Even if our positions are different, or our values are different, I want to be a person who can honestly communicate, 'This is how I actually feel.'
Because relationships between working adults are built within limited time and energy, sincerity becomes more important than anything else.
The efforts that go unseen are what children see the most
The scene where Nigel steps into the spotlight after 20 years. It made my heart swell with emotion.
The moment when someone who has quietly upheld their own aesthetic behind the scenes of a glamorous world, in a place no one noticed, finally gets their due.
Most of a working mother's efforts are also 'invisible efforts'.
The nights spent finishing work after the children were asleep
The days I woke up at 5 a.m. to carve out time for myself
The frustration I swallowed without telling anyone
The moments I wanted to cry from being caught between work and family
But, invisible efforts are always seen by someone in an invisible place.
And that 'someone' is, surprisingly, often your own child.
I believe that a mother working hard is a message stronger than any words.
Knowing 'what is important' means you will never be lost, no matter where you are.
In the movie, the characters let go of some things and choose others.
The scene where Andy realizes that 'she herself is the icon' was a powerful message for anyone who works.
It is not your title or your skills, but the values and aesthetics within you that become the source of your motivation to work.
When living as a professional, reasons like 'working for someone else' or 'working to meet expectations' often come to the forefront, but in truth, that alone is not enough.
'How do I want to live?' Those who hold that axis can stand on their own two feet in any environment.
And I believe this set of values is not something that is decided once and for all, but something that can be shaken and updated time and again through experiences, the people we meet, and changes in society.
That is precisely why I felt that regardless of generation or position, it is necessary to keep facing your own values.
Finally
On days when you are lost in your work, days when you are so busy with parenting that you put yourself last, and nights when you couldn't meet someone's expectations,
It makes me feel a little proud of myself for having moved forward, even while carrying everything with me.
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" was a film that gently reached out to the heart of a working mother, whispering, "It's okay, you can keep going just as you are."
Once Golden Week is over, daily life will return. The busyness, the hesitation, and the constant stream of choices will surely remain the same.
Even so, as a mother and as the breadwinner of my family, I want to be someone who can inspire my children through my actions.
It doesn't have to be perfect. It's okay to be unsteady.
And above all, I want to show my children what it looks like to be an adult who is excited about their own life.
I want to move forward without fear of taking on challenges, staying passionate about what I love, and cherishing my own values.